Fluff Buddies
by Semerket
Summary: JJ goes to check on Emily after a rough case and they become friends with benefits. Their relationship eventually becomes turbulent when Emily discovers something about JJ. FEMSLASH.
1. Chapter 1

Title: 'Fluff Buddies'  
Author: Semerket  
Fandom: Criminal Minds  
Pairing: Emily/JJ  
Rating: M, for language and explicit sexual content. Smut alert.  
Disclaimer: Do I own Criminal Minds? No? Then you're probably right. **Femslash**.  
Summary: JJ goes to check on Emily after a rough case and their relationship changes into something else.  
A/N: I self beta, so my apologies for any errors, grammatical or otherwise. If you wonder about the title... well I couldn't call it 'f*** buddies' :-P Reviews & comments are welcome; they also encourage me write faster. ;-)

**Fluff Buddies**

by Semerket

JJ looked ridiculous.

There she stood in the middle of the hallway right outside of Emily Prentiss's door, fist raised and stalled on its way to knock. Was she really doing this? Did she really just show up at the home of the woman of her dreams unannounced? What would Emily think? She felt as ridiculous as she looked. Biting her bottom lip, she mustered up the nerve to propel her hand forward.

JJ hesitantly knocked on Emily's door.

She hoped this wasn't a mistake, she had been making a lot of those lately. Emily Prentiss was never good at admitting when she needed help, but if she did, JJ wanted her to know that she would be there for her. But there were, of course, other reasons. She'd be kidding herself if this was just about a friend wanting to lend a hand.

She felt guilty about the last case. She'd made a bad call in the heat of the moment that ended with Emily getting pounded by an unsub. Of course, Emily would never admit that JJ had been at fault. As a matter of fact one of the first things that Emily had said to JJ at the hospital was that it wasn't her fault and she had done everything she could in that situation. She had used terms like 'right thing' and 'I'll always trust you'. What a bunch of bull. Why did Emily always have to be the knight in shining armor? Why couldn't she just blame JJ like a normal person and throw a tantrum every now and then, but then she wouldn't be Emily.

She had missed the brunette's presence at work and she was running out of excuses to call her without coming across as strange or needy. The last thing she wanted Emily to think was that the press liaison was turning into some kind of lesbo stalker. Maybe JJ shouldn't have brought flowers- she'd already given her some when she was in the hospital. Flowers would probably say one of two things: 'get well soon' or 'I want to fuck you'. Both interpretations were quite accurate.

She would have preferred to bring groceries, but she didn't know what kind of food the brunette would want to eat. The simple thing would have been to call and ask, but that would have given Emily the opportunity to reject her upfront, a possibility that JJ didn't want to consider. Emily was a well-bred woman and the last thing she wanted to do was offend her with an offering of something blue like... hot dogs. She could feel herself starting to sweat. Great.

That's when JJ realized it was taking a long time for her to come to the door. How long had she been standing there? Two minutes? Five minutes?

JJ knocked again.

Now she could hear someone walking to the door albeit more slowly than she would have expected. She heard a pause and she could tell that she was being watched through the peep hole. She sensed her hesitation, maybe Emily wouldn't open the door at all, maybe Emily was angry with her, maybe Emily knew about JJ's more-than-friendly feelings and was offended. She couldn't handle the suspense any longer!

"Emily?" JJ raised her voice so that she could be heard through the door.

Her heart flew into her throat when she heard the lock.

She was greeted by Emily's tired voice. "Jayj?" She sounded curious, but not displeased- maybe stopping by hadn't been a miscalculation. "What are you doing here?"

The brunette had only opened the door wide enough to poke her head out. The last thing she wanted was for JJ to see her condo in disarray. She'd been so tired that she hadn't felt like cleaning up her place. Hell, she couldn't even remember if she took her garbage out.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," the blonde said sincerely. Her heart ached at the way Emily looked. She seemed fragile and exhausted, although the latter was what she found most disturbing. If JJ recalled correctly, Emily didn't 'do' fragile.

"I'm doing fine." Emily said as convincingly as possible, slipping into her familiar facade. She gave no indication that she planned on inviting JJ inside.

"That's good to hear." JJ stared at Emily expectantly as an air awkwardness formed between them. "Can I come in?"

"Actually, now really isn't the best time." Emily answered cryptically. She moved as though she were about to shut the door in the blond's face. All this concern was making the brunette feel strangely vulnerable and she _hated_ feeling weak. JJ always had that effect on her; she weakened her resolve. It was time for the press liaison to go.

JJ's hand shot up to to stop the door from closing. "Emily, please?" JJ's bright blue eyes pleaded with her longingly.

JJ was so beautiful in that moment. Emily felt herself taking in the rest of the woman's appearance. At this time of day JJ would normally be at work, they all would, but here she was at her door step in her casual clothes- a light blue baby doll t-shirt and blue jeans. Didn't she have a case to be working on?

"Shouldn't you be at work?" It was a fair question.

The blonde looked confused momentarily and then her eyes widened at the realization. "Emily," she said carefully, "Today is Sunday, remember?"

Emily stared at her blankly. God, she was an idiot. "Well that explains it." Great. Now JJ must really think she's a train wreck. She hadn't been away from work that long and she'd already lost track of the date.

"I just want to talk... just for a little bit." JJ slapped herself mentally, of course all she would do was talk, what _else_ would they do? Profilers always noticed those kinds of nuances. Emily must think her crazy.

Emily felt her face flush when she realized she'd lingered on the blond's curves just a little too long. Then she noticed the flowers, she was flattered and annoyed by them. Dammit. Now she would look tacky if she didn't invite her inside. Emily sighed as she resigned to her fate. This was the last thing she needed. It was bad enough she had to deal with her long standing secret attraction to the press liaison every day at work, but now she'd have to deal with it in her apartment too.

"Alright." Emily mumbled. She backed away from the door and opened it so that the blond could come in. "I appreciate the flowers, they're beautiful." She said graciously as she accepted the bouquet.

JJ blushed and smiled at the compliment. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable while I go put these in some water." Emily motioned towards the living area.

So far JJ was impressed with Emily's condo. It was exactly as she had imagined: elegant and immaculate, like its owner. JJ wasn't a profiler, at least not officially, but it didn't take a genius to see that Emily hardly spent any time in her own living room. The couch looked like it had never been sat on and all the other carefully placed furnishings gave off the impression of opulent living, but it was obvious even to her that it was for show more than anything. It was _so_ typical of Emily to be surrounded by all these nice things and never use them.

JJ turned in the direction of the kitchen area. Emily had already found a home for the flowers and JJ watched in amusement as the brunette hurried around the kitchen trying to hide any signs of imperfection, and there were plenty of signs. The counters were covered with a whole myriad of empty pizza boxes and take-out containers. JJ had a feeling that if she checked Emily's refrigerator it probably would be empty. Maybe those hot dogs wouldn't have been a bad idea.

The last thing she wanted to do was make Emily feel uncomfortable in her own home; that would negate the entire point of her visit. Funny, suddenly she couldn't remember what her point ever was. To see Emily, yes, that was it.

"Emily, you don't have to clean up on my account!" JJ blurted.

Emily flinched as JJ's voice startled her. Emily decided to ignore her suggestion. Yes, she did have to clean up. She was tired, _not_ crippled.

"Would you like something to drink?" She asked, remembering that she'd need to play hostess. She knew she was out of coffee and she never drank tea so the profiler opened her refrigerator and hoped to God that she had some kind of beverage other than water. Please say no. Wow, Powerade _and_ apple juice. Please say no. There was always wine, assuming she had any left. Please say no.

"No thanks, I'm fine." JJ said down on the couch.

Emily released a breath she'd been holding, crisis averted. "So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" The brunette asked, wanting to get right to the point. The sooner they had this conversation that JJ wanted, the sooner if would be over. Emily walked into the living room and sat on the couch a few feet from the blond.

JJ noticed that Emily was wearing her red tank top and a pair of black track pants; it was JJ's favorite shirt on Emily- a lovely contrast to her pale skin. She had probably been sleeping before she answered the door, JJ realized. That might account for some of her brusqueness too. Overall the brunette looked much better than she had the last time she saw her- as far as she could tell the bruises were gone, but JJ knew as well as anyone that it was the wounds that didn't show that took the longest to heal.

"You have a really beautiful view here."

"Yea, but you should see it at night. Its really beautiful at night." Emily glanced towards her view of D.C.

"So how have you been?"

Emily watched her prudently, "I told you that I'm fine. I'll be back at work tomorrow."

"Are you really, Emily?"

Now she sounded defensive, "_Really_, what?"

"Really okay?"

Emily chuckled, "Agent Jareau, are you trying to profile a profiler?"

Jennifer smirked, "Is _that_ what you think I'm doing?"

Emily shrugged, trying to hide as much of her emotional state as possible, "Isn't it?" This elicited a sigh from the press liaison. Why did Emily have to be this way with her?

"Emily, I'm just-"

"Trying to be supportive," The brunette snapped. On seeing the hurt expression on Jennifer's face, Emily softened her tone. "Jayj, it wasn't your fault. No one could have predicted the outcome." She thought she'd gone over this with her already.

"I'm not here to talk about the case."

Emily laughed sarcastically, "Really? Because thats _exactly_ what you asked me about."

"No, I inquired about your health." JJ tried her best to squash her growing frustration.

"Which is directly related to the case."

"Why do you act like this?" JJ was genuinely bewildered. She definitely understood why Garcia dubbed her 'Emily the strange and great.' "I just want to help you, but you push me away every time."

"And most people have enough dignity to accept the rejection the first time." Emily said softly, taking some of the bite out of her comment.

Emily was probably right. Why was she wasting her time on someone that didn't want to be helped and sure as hell didn't want company? She was just about to leave, but then she thought about all the times that Emily had been there for her, all the times she'd consoled her without a second thought. How could that same supportive person that she'd grown to love and depend on be so adamantly opposed to receiving the same assistance in return. Maybe Emily was unaccustomed to having a support network and the idea of being emotionally dependent on another person terrified her. Emily had implied on occasion that being part of the Prentiss family was like having no family at all. That's when JJ made up her mind.

"Its okay to need someone, Emily." JJ said gently.

What was JJ talking about now? Emily furrowed her brow. "Look Jennifer, I'm sorry about the way I've treated you. I'm tired and grumpy and I appreciate you're offer of help, but I'm fine." She resisted the urge to add 'sexually frustrated' to the list. Emily hoped that would be sufficient to get JJ to leave so that she could get back to moping around in her track suit.

Jennifer scooted closer to Emily on the couch. She noticed as the other woman blushed and shifted uncomfortably. She could see the woman's apprehension- Emily looked like she was ready to bolt off the couch. JJ placed a hand on Emily's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Emily sat there for a moment, dumbfounded. She replayed the events of their conversation leading up to JJ touching her hand. JJ watched her intently, she could tell Emily wasn't sure what to make of it. Then the brunette sighed as she felt her mask of defensiveness slip away. She wanted so badly to give into her weaknesses in front of JJ, but her pride fought and fought until Emily felt a flurry of emotions surging towards the surface, erupting in the form of tears.

JJ moved in to embrace her and Emily allowed it. A few seconds later Emily pulled JJ in even closer and rested her head on the blond's shoulder, her face slipping into the crook of the blond's neck. She could feel her anxieties slip away as JJ held her. She took a deep breath and inhaled JJ's sweet scent. She smelled like dessert. Then Emily wondered: did she taste like it too?

JJ shuddered as she felt Emily's hot breath tease her neck repeatedly. The press liaison's brain was officially on overload. Oh, how she wanted to take full advantage of the vulnerable agent that she held in her arms, but the logical part of her brain kept reminding her that Emily needed a friend not a groping session. A girl could always dream, though.

Emily could feel her the tip of her nose touching the press liaison's neck and she resisted the urge to kiss her. Emily couldn't think of a better way to ruin the moment more quickly than by getting slapped for licking the press liaison... but it was just one kiss. What could possibly go wrong? She could always pretend that her mouth accidentally bumped into JJ's neck, and if JJ asked she could tell her that her tongue just _'_falls out' sometimes... like a toothless chihuahua. Emily steeled herself for rejection and throwing caution to the wind, she puckered her lips and gently kissed the blond's neck. Now to wait for that slap.

_'What the fuck?'_ JJ thought as her eyes bulged. Did Emily Prentiss just kiss her on the neck? No, it must have been some kind of mistake, an accident, that was all. JJ berated herself for having such lascivious thoughts at time like this.

Surprised that the smack never came, Emily felt emboldened. She began kissing the blond's neck slowly. She wanted to give JJ time to pull back in case she thought the first kiss had been a misunderstanding. Confident that JJ was not opposed to the contact, she increased the speed of her ministrations and to her delight Jennifer let out a moan.

"Emily?" A breathless press liaison muttered in between breaths. Maybe they were moving a little too fast.

"Mhmm?" Was the only response from the brunette who was still making love to her neck and jawline.

"Emily wai-"

That was not what Emily wanted to hear. It had been so long since Emily had felt her body move against another person's. Rather than lose the momentum that was building between them, she captured JJ's lips with her own in a kiss that was both tender and commanding. Then she firmly pushed JJ onto the couch so that she was lying on her back and Emily was directly on top of her. She loved being in control.

JJ felt all protests die on her lips as she felt the brunette's hand sliding up her shirt. She arched into Emily's touch as she felt her hand knead her breasts. After a few minutes, Emily could tell by the cooing sounds coming from her companion that JJ was very wet now. The older woman relinquished her control over the blond's now swollen mouth and moved her hands down to JJ's jeans. She unzipped the blond's pants and gave them a firm yank. Fortunately, the jeans weren't too tight and they came down easily.

Emily said huskily, "I'm going to taste you." JJ gulped audibly at the determination in the brunette's voice.

True to her word, JJ felt Emily's hot mouth go to work on her; it was heavenly. As JJ neared the edge, Emily felt the blond's hand grab onto her head, pushing her further in.

"Em, Em... Emily!" Emily was pleased when she felt her hair rip as JJ came.

Emily moved back up to capture JJ's lips again. When JJ realized that she was tasting herself she felt herself become aroused all over again. Emily moved her hand to JJ's side and grabbed air, nearly toppling off the couch. They needed more space.

"Upstairs. Bed." Emily said in between kisses, "Now."

JJ acquiesced. "'Kay."

Emily sat up and helped JJ off the couch as she led her upstairs. Emily and JJ shed any remaining clothes on their way.

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JJ followed Emily to the bed obediently. Emily sat down on the edge and allowed JJ to sit on her lap and straddle her.

"I want you to fuck me," Jennifer begged.

Without hesitation Emily plunged three fingers into JJ's wet center. JJ gasped at the sensation, after a few seconds she began to rock against the brunette's hand as Emily nipped at her breasts.

"Yes!"

"Come for me, Jennifer." Emily whispered

JJ scrunched her face up as she rubbed needfully against the profilers hand. She could feel JJ tensing.

"Relax baby, and let it come."

"I can't."

"Relax, you're too tense."

JJ exhaled a frustrated sigh, "I... I... don't think I can." Her legs were going limp. Maybe three fingers was too much. She was surprised by how tight JJ was.

"Here, lay down on your stomach."

"Huh?"

"I'm not asking."

"Okay, okay" Jennifer chuckled. She peeled herself off the profiler and laid down on her stomach.

"Spread your legs."

JJ sighed at the command. She was so aroused she could hardly think straight. She felt Emily lean on top of her and gently insert two fingers. She didn't want to accidentally hurt the younger woman if she wasn't ready for three. Jennifer arched her hips off of the bed to increase the contact.

"That better?"

"Ah... yes!" She hissed.

After a few minutes Jennifer let out a scream loud of enough to startle the neighbors. As JJ descended from cloud nine she felt Emily leaving wet trails of kisses down her back. JJ rolled over and gazed into Emily's eyes and she was pleased to see a hungry look there. JJ rolled Emily onto her back and smiled mischievously.

"Your turn."

Emily was more than content to except that.

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Several hours later...

JJ woke up to an unfamiliar feeling of warmth draped over her. She opened her eyes and it took several seconds for her to remember where she was. Then it hit her. She had slept with Emily Prentiss! She was filled with excitement, but at the same time she was worried about how this would affect their friendship and their jobs. Her excitement devolved into panic. She had no idea what to say to Emily so she decided that fleeing the scene would be the safest course of action.

She turned her attention to the warm body that was tangled against her. The brunette was sleeping soundly. It was just a matter of untangling herself from Emily without waking her. It had been easier than she'd thought. Luckily for her, Emily slept like a log.

JJ hurried down the stairs pulling on her clothes as soon as she found them. She was finally dressed and her hair was significantly more composed when she heard a voice at the top of the stairs.

"Jennifer?" The brunette was wearing a robe as she made her way downstairs to confront the blond.

JJ froze, "Oh, hey Emily," She smiled, trying to project the aura that everything was fine and dandy, even though the repercussions of their relationship were still terrifying her.

"Everything okay?" Emily said, confusion evident in her voice.

"Oh, I just thought that maybe...um," JJ had no idea what to say. "I don't know."

"Are you mad at me?" Emily pouted, an expression that made JJ's heart melt. The blond instinctively wanted to take her into her arms, but then she remembered what happened the last time she did that. Oops.

"No! No, I'm not mad at you, Emily."

"Then what's wrong? Do you regret what happened between us?" Emily prayed this wasn't the case, she couldn't bare it if it was; to be so close to having everything she ever wanted only to have it ripped away would not only be tragic, but just plain cruel.

"Um no," JJ tried to find the right words, "I just...I just don't know what to say."

Emily closed the distance between them, "Then don't say anything." She moved in and kissed JJ tenderly. As they pulled back Emily continued to hold her, "Are you hungry? There's a cafe across the street that's still open."

JJ's blue eyes locked with brown orbs and what JJ saw there frightened her. Emily Prentiss was in love with her! It was flowing off of the profiler in waves. Its everything that JJ ever wanted and now that she had it she had no idea what to do about it. She'd given into her hormones without considering the consequences. How would this affect their jobs? For Christ's sake, what would her parents think of her?

Suddenly the press liaison was unable to meet the brunette's eyes. Emily noticed, "Jennifer?"

JJ pushed Emily back until she was no longer encircled in the profiler's arms. It was harder for JJ to think when the brunette was touching her.

"What's wrong?"

"Emily, I had a great time, but I didn't think about this at all and... " She knew that Emily wasn't going to like this. "We made a mistake. I want to go back to being friends."

JJ watched in agony as Emily's professional mask slammed into place, shutting the blond out.

"Then leave." Emily said with a coldness that told JJ they'd never be the same.

JJ started to cry, "I never meant to hurt you. I'm so sorry-"

"I said get out!" Emily turned on her heel and went back up stairs. She wouldn't let JJ see her cry, not this time.


	2. Chapter 2

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Pairing: Emily/JJ

Rating: R, for smuttyness

Disclaimer: Don't own em.

Summary: JJ goes to check on Emily after a rough case and their relationship changes into something else. This is **femslash**.

A/N: Reviews & comments are welcome. Don't be fooled by the title- this isn't really about fluff, but that doesn't mean there'll never be any. ;-)

**Fluff Buddies**

Chapter 2

by Semerket

JJ left the house earlier than normal so that she would be the first one to arrive at work; it was still dark outside when she stepped into her office. Her nightmarish situation with Emily Prentiss had kept her awake and in turmoil for most of the night. Emily was her best friend next to Garcia and the thought of losing that friendship was mortifying to the press liaison. There was also the issue of what she really wanted from Emily. JJ had been aware of her attraction to the brunette for quite some time, but she'd always assumed that it couldn't go anywhere. She'd never considered what would happen if they actually crossed that line.

She had screwed up _big_.

She could feel the burning anxiety settling in the pit of her stomach. Emily Prentiss was giving her indigestion. The only way to remedy the situation was to apologize. Correction, she needed to apologize her ass off. She'd even considered begging as a viable option, witnesses be damned. She knew how hard it was for Emily to open up to people, but somehow the brunette had opened up to her. She'd made herself vulnerable and JJ had broken her heart. She'd never forget the look in Emily's eyes when she'd been told to leave.

She briefly considered getting her a gift, but remembering that she'd already given her flowers the previous day she immediately dismissed that idea as unoriginal and just plain redundant. JJ knew she couldn't approach Emily in front of the rest of the team and sending an email would be way too impersonal so she decided to try writing her a note. If Emily thought it was work related she would be forced to read it. Maybe that would work.

JJ reached into her drawer and pulled out a pad of yellow lined paper and got to work. Almost an hour later she still hadn't figured out exactly what to say as was evident by the crumpled, yellow balls strewn around her wastebasket. This wasn't working; the yellow paper was becoming more and more hideous to the press liaison's eyes the longer she stared at it. She'd even tried some plain printer paper, but it just wouldn't do. It would never be good enough for Emily. JJ rummaged through her desk in search of some stationary. Irritated that she was unable to find any, JJ went to a place where she remembered seeing some.

JJ snuck into Garcia's office knowing it was unlikely that her best friend would come to work this early. She sat down in the computer chair and began her search. After a few minutes, she'd found a few pads scattered randomly around the technical analyst's keyboards. JJ couldn't help but sigh as she considered her options; she should have known what kind of stationary Penelope would have. She picked up one of them hesitantly.

"Ah, nothing says 'I love you' quite like Garfield!" A cheerful voice chirped from the doorway.

JJ screamed and jumped out of the chair, dropping the colorful cat stationary onto the floor.

"Oh my god, Penelope! Don't sneak up on me like that." JJ grumbled as she tried to catch her breath. The press liaison collected the note paper off the floor and put it back where she found it.

"Fear is often an indication of a guilty conscience." Garcia chuckled as she quoted their taciturn unit chief. The technical analyst scrutinized her buddy. JJ was acting weird. "What ya looking for, hon?"

"I'm sorry." This was becoming more frustrating by the minute. "I was just looking for some stationary."

"Well then look no further!" Garcia sat down in her chair confidently and opened a box next to her desk. There were numerous kinds of stationaries randomly strewn about. "What kind are you looking for?"

JJ smirked, "The kind for grown ups." The blond rifled through the box without hesitation.

Garcia smiled slyly, "Oh, _that_ kind of note, huh?" Garcia saw her friend's cheeks flush bright red.

Jennifer tried to change the subject, "Jesus, Penelope. You're your own scrap booking store."

"You _are_ in my throne room, dear." Garcia added imperiously.

"Is there _anything_ you can't do?" JJ chuckled sarcastically.

"Afraid not." There was a moment of silence as JJ selected a few sheets. It wasn't overly bright, but it said 'I cared.' Garcia continued, "So who is it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Who's the lucky guy?"

JJ's eyes widened as she turned red again, "I never said it was for a guy."

Garcia rolled her eyes dramatically, "You might as well tell me, Jayj. I'll just find out one way or another."

She smiled, "Thanks Garcia." The press liaison knew that was her queue to leave.

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JJ was probably right. It was a mistake. The more that Emily thought about it the angrier she became, although the anger was mostly directed at herself more than the press liaison. She had been an absolute fool to think that Jennifer could have ever returned her feelings. JJ was straight for god's sake, well not entirely, well maybe not at all really, but the blonde was right: they hadn't thought about this.

Actually, that was wrong. Emily had thought about it. As a matter of fact, JJ frequently entered her thoughts to the exclusion of all others. Emily was sure of one thing though, she would not let this affect her job. She would just go on working just like she had every other day before she'd slept with Jennifer Jareau. Yes, that was it. She would just pretend it never happened and hopefully it would all magically go away.

Emily's eyes scanned for the press liaison as she cautiously entered the bullpen. Realizing that JJ was probably in her office, the brunette discreetly sat down at her desk and tried to occupy herself with her growing stack of unfinished paperwork. Noticing that she would need a pen, Emily opened her top desk drawer and was greeted by a folded note with her name written neatly on the front. It was in Jennifer's handwriting. A part of her wasn't even in the mood to read it and she briefly considered throwing it right into the trash, but given the nature of their jobs it wasn't _entirely_ impossible that it might be work related. Oh, who was she kidding? She had a pretty good idea what the note was going to be about.

She raised an eyebrow at the stationary; it was a nice touch, nice enough to keep itself from being tossed into the trash immediately.

She sighed and forced herself to look at it:

_'Dear Emily,_

_PLEASE DON'T THROW THIS AWAY! I know you're-'_

Emily balled up the offending note angrily and threw it into the trash with too much passion; Agent Morgan had witnessed her little tantrum. He smiled gleefully and snatched the note out of the trash as though it were a lost treasure.

"Hey, hey! What have we got here? It looks like someone got a love letter!" Derek teased her in his playful brotherly way as he un-balled the note.

"Derek!"

Emily jumped up and tried to snatch it from him, but he was taller and held it out of her reach as he tried to read it, "Dear Emily... I know your mad at me-"

Prentiss snatched the note away from him before he could absorb any more of the catastrophe that was currently her personal life. Emily marched over to the large industrial grade paper shredder and ran it through.

"Whoa Prentiss, that was harsh." The tall man wondered what the paper had done to offend her; he felt sorry for whoever was in _that_ dog house. This, he reminded himself, was why he never dated a woman who carried a gun.

"Not funny, Derek." Emily said irritably.

He put his hands up in defeat, "Okay, Emily. I'm sorry, I was just kidding around."

Emily sat back down at her desk. Now she'd never get any work done.

JJ frowned. She had witnessed that little scene through the blinds in her office, which she had been tentatively hiding behind. She'd been spying on the brunette ever since she saw her sneak into the bullpen. Needless to say that Emily's reaction was less than what she had been hoping for. JJ went back to her desk and slumped down into her chair. The rest of the day would be agonizing if they weren't able to resolve this to some degree; she could barely work up the nerve to walk out of her office for god's sake.

Emily was just beginning to allow herself to focus on her work when Agent Hotchner approached her with several files in hand. He seemed to be in a hurry.

"Prentiss, I need you to double check this file sometime today... there's a report that didn't add up."

"What time do you need it by?"

"I'll be in a meeting with the section chief so you can just hand it off to JJ when you're through."

"No problem." Emily smiled chummily at him until he turned and left. Then she glared at Hotch's retreating form as he headed off in the direction of the elevators. So far she'd done everything she could to avoid interacting with the press liaison. She knew, of course, that it would only be a matter of time before their paths crossed. It was a small office and even smaller was their team, but she was hoping she could avoid her for at least one day. She needed more time to compartmentalize Sunday.

Emily combed through the offending file as slowly as humanly possible. Once she had finished, she steeled herself for her next encounter with JJ. Hopefully, the press liaison wouldn't bring it up, but somehow she knew that wouldn't be the case.

Before she got up, she took a moment to quickly check herself out in the reflection of her compact mirror. It was a miracle she managed to look as professional as she did having been so preoccupied with... other things. She was wearing her black pant suit with a white button up. She nervously adjusted the collar of her shirt. She didn't want Jennifer to think she was falling apart or something.

JJ was moping at her computer when she heard a light tapping on the door.

"Come in." The press liaison was surprised to see the focus of her thoughts enter the room. JJ resisted the urge to straighten herself up; she would've checked her hair if she'd known Emily would be coming.

"Hotch wanted me to give this to you." Emily explained diplomatically as she avoided direct eye contact. She walked over to the blond and JJ stood up to take it. JJ's hope crumbled when she realized that Emily had no interest in discussing the note. Emily turned to leave once she'd handed off the file, but not before she'd noticed how sexy JJ looked in her lavender pinstriped blouse. If they'd been on better terms she would've complimented her by now.

"Emily?" The brunette tensed when she felt a hand on her arm. Emily immediately shrugged it off as though she'd been burned by it and stormed out of the office, slamming the door for dramatic affect. So much for not letting it affect her job. Emily wasn't in the mood to sulk at her desk with JJ and Derek lurking in such close proximity so she decided to go for a walk to clear her head. She knew her absence would just blend in with the lunch hour. It was nearing 1 o'clock anyway.

She stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the first floor. Just as the doors were about to shut she glanced up to see JJ rapidly approaching the elevator. The press liaison stuck her arms between the doors and they quickly reopened to admit her.

Emily kept her gaze straight ahead. "What floor?"

JJ just stared at the brunette in disbelief as the doors to the elevator rolled shut. "Emily, what are you doing?"

Emily turned to the press liaison; now she was wearing a similar look of disbelief. "I'm doing _exactly_ what you wanted! I'm pretending that last night never happened."

"Did you read my letter?" JJ played with her hair nervously.

"Not really. But I'm sure you already know that since you've been watching me ever since I came in this morning!" Emily had felt the press liaison's eyes burning into her back while she was trying to work. It unnerved her as much as it aroused her.

Damn profilers to hell. She couldn't keep the anger out of her voice. "I'm trying to apologize, you dummy!"

Emily patronized her derisively, "Is that what you want, JJ? Do you need me to accept your _apology_?" JJ's eyes welled up with unshed tears at the brunette's angry, mocking tone. "Then fine. I accept your apology! Now stop bringing it up."

JJ ran out of words, not that she had many to begin with. There was only one thing left to do. JJ grabbed Emily roughly and pressed her lips soundly against the brunette's. Emily froze in place when she felt JJ's hot mouth against hers. How the hell had that happened? She could've sworn she'd been having an argument with the press liaison. Emily felt her sex drive kick into high gear at Jennifer's touch. Capitalizing on the other woman's shock, JJ gently slid her tongue into Emily's mouth. She was pleased that Emily allowed it.

_Ding._

As reason reacquainted itself with the profiler's brain, she jerked out of the blond's embrace and turned to face the elevator door before it opened. JJ mimicked the other woman's actions, albeit more hesitantly.

"Good afternoon, Agent Prentiss." Section Chief Erin Strauss addressed the profiler coolly as she strolled into the elevator. Then she acknowledged JJ and offered her a tight-lipped smile, the only kind of smile that Erin ever offered anyone working _below_ her. "Agent Jareau."

"Ma'am." Emily nodded respectfully, her face flushing slightly.

"Hello!" JJ blushed and smiled dumbly. She hoped to god her lipstick wasn't smeared all over her face.

The silence and tension was so palpable that JJ felt as though she might drown in it. She was watching Emily from the corner of her eye and she was struck with a rush of fury at the profiler's calmness despite their almost being caught, literally, red-handed... well red-mouthed anyway. She was beginning to wonder if her overtures were having _any_ effect on Emily. JJ didn't realize it was possible to be this angry and aroused at the same time.

After an eternity, or more precisely one floor down, the section chief stepped off the elevator and the doors slid shut again.

JJ now found herself at the mercy of Emily's angry rebuke, "Are you fucking crazy? Do you know where we're at?" Emily had worked hard to get into the BAU and she had been less than ten seconds from throwing all of that out the window. Strauss would have had a field day with their careers, _especially_ Emily's! All thanks to JJ, that is.

JJ blushed guiltily. If looks could kill then her heart would have stopped; it almost did. "Sorry. Its just-"

"Not here!" Emily hissed. When the elevator finally stopped at ground level Emily paused thoughtfully before she stepped out. "I'm going for a walk." Emily said cryptically, there was still thinly veiled irritation in her voice.

And the profiler was gone.

JJ stood there for a few seconds before she realized that the statement was an invitation. It sure as hell didn't sound like it though. She sighed, why hadn't she become a profiler?

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JJ hurried after the profiler as she marched through the unpopulated parking deck. After walking in silence for several minutes Emily eventually approached a big, black SUV. They were so accustomed to using Bureau issued vehicles during work hours that they tended to hold onto the keys until they went home at the end of the day... if the day ended.

'_Beep_'

She opened the back door on the driver's side and acknowledged JJ for the first time. When Emily had said 'not here,' JJ never would've imagined that it would have translated into the backseat of a federal issue vehicle. It was a good idea though. It was private, what with the tinted windows and all. Jennifer nodded as she stepped into the back of the car. She scooted to the other end of the seat and waited for Emily to get in and shut the door.

"You wanted to talk."

JJ sighed. Somehow she had the feeling that no matter what she said she wouldn't be able to fix it.

"Emily, I never meant to hurt you-"

Emily released an exasperated sigh and threw her hands up defensively, "I know, okay? I know you didn't mean to hurt me, but that doesn't change the fact that you did and it doesn't make me feel better." JJ was about to respond when Emily stopped her, "And before you continue, I want us to get one thing straight right now. If you _ever_ do anything like that at work again so help me god, Jennifer..."

"Emily, I know! I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Emily felt a pang of disappointment at that. Actually, she hoped that it would happen again; the more frequent the better, but not in the elevators at work. She wanted to clarify, but now just wasn't the time. She was still too upset.

JJ sniffed, she didn't want to start crying. "I just didn't know what else to do to get you to listen."

Emily ran her hand through her hair agitatedly. "_Listen_? Listen to what? Like how sorry you are and how everything was a mistake..."

JJ accidentally let out a sob. It was times like this that she hated being one of those women that cried when she was angry, "I told you I'm sorry-"

Prentiss tried to keep herself from frowning outwardly. JJ's sniveling was making her feel guilty. She couldn't stand the thought of JJ being upset. Emily instinctively wanted to comfort her and tell her that everything would be alright, but then she remembered something very important: she had a right to be upset damn it! JJ hurt _her_, not the other way around. Emily felt her righteous anger rise up again.

"Poor thing. You've just been sorry all day, haven't you?" Emily pouted cynically.

JJ was learning that Emily Prentiss could be a real bitch when she wanted to be. "I shouldn't have left, not like that. I panicked when I woke up with you and I just..."

"No shit, Sherlock." Emily laughed sarcastically.

JJ raised her voice. She was tired of being cut off. "I was confused. I'm still confused about us and about what's happening between us. "

"Well let me elaborate for you, Jennifer," Emily said smartly. "You came over to my house yesterday and then we fucked. That's what happened. Are we on the same page now or are we still feeling confused?"

"Emily," JJ said tiredly, "Can't we just have a conversation without all this ugliness?"

"I'm sorry, Jennifer. Were we having a conversation? Because I'm still not sure what point it is that you're trying to make. "

"I've never been with a _woman_ before."

Emily openly laughed at that. "As of yesterday you have. Do you think I'm stupid, Jennifer? You went down on me like a pro!"

JJ turned red with embarrassment, "Well its not like you were a challenge!" And she hadn't been. By the time JJ touched the brunette, she came quickly and easily.

"You don't have to feel guilty for being honest with me. I'm a grown up-"

"Yea, well you don't act like it!" JJ yelled, as if raising her volume would help get her message through.

"God dammit! What do you want from me? What, now you want to play house and be my girlfriend? Is that it?" Emily was yelling too.

"I don't know!"

"You did _last_ _night_!"

JJ slapped the brunette abruptly. Realizing what she'd done she stared at the brunette in shock. They sat there, staring at each other intensely for a few seconds.

JJ was just about to apologize, yet again, when she felt the brunette's mouth come crashing down on hers painfully. The blond couldn't help but moan into the contact as they grabbed for each other frantically. They both fought for control as they each tried to push the other back onto the seat. Without breaking their contact, Emily lifted Jennifer by her thighs and angled her on to her back so that they were lying across the seat with Emily on top. JJ instinctively wrapped her legs around the profiler. She helped her out of her jacket as Emily fiddled with JJ's shirt. Becoming frustrated with the little buttons, the profiler tore the shirt open.

JJ almost stopped kissing Emily when she felt her shirt rip, but she was too excited to worry about it. That could wait for later. Needing to breath, Emily finally broke her contact with the press liaison and began kissing her neck and chest.

Emily quickly hiked JJ's skirt over her hips and slipped past her panties, JJ gasped as she felt two fingers enter her roughly. The press liaison dug her fingers into Emily's back in response. She could feel the smooth material of Emily's shirt. JJ wanted that shirt off, she needed to feel Emily's skin. She yanked the profiler's shirt out of her pants and ran her fingers up Emily's stomach teasingly. She felt Emily tense with surprise at the contact. Was Emily _ticklish_? JJ filed that information away for future use.

JJ hands roamed over Emily's ass and squeezed. The contact made Emily groan and thrust harder into JJ. The press liaison tried to slide her hand down the front of Emily's pants and was more than a little annoyed when the profiler batted her hands away. She tried again and Emily was about to stop her.

"Just let me. I want to." JJ said breathlessly. Emily hesitated and then allowed JJ to touch her.

JJ unzipped Emily's pants and slid them down far enough to give her the access she craved. Emily arched as JJ slipped into her and she let out a labored moan.

They rocked together for several minutes until Emily felt her knees go weak as she reached her climax.

Using her free hand, she reached out to brace herself against the window as she came. Jennifer let out a loud hiss soon after and Emily held her tightly as she rode out the rest of her orgasm.

They laid there for a few moments panting tiredly. Emily eventually sat up and began to straighten herself out. She hadn't said a word. JJ guessed there'd be no cuddling this time, not that there was any the previous day. JJ peeled herself off of the seat and pushed her skirt back into a more respectable position. She felt like a whore, screwing in the back of a car that neither of them owned... and on their lunch hour no less. It was dirty, but oh so good.

JJ went about the task of fixing her shirt when she realized something.

"Hey!"

Emily glanced at her.

"Look what you did to my shirt!" The press liaison bent over and started gathering as many buttons as she could find.

Emily chuckled, "I can buy you a new one."

JJ waved it off, "Don't bother. I can just sew them back on." Her shirt really was a wreck, though. It would be embarrassing to walk into the office in such a state, not to mention risky.

"Here." Emily put her jacket over JJ's shoulders. "You can wear that until you make it to your go-bag."

JJ smiled gratefully, "Thanks." She put her arms into the garment and buttoned up the front. Now the state of her shirt wasn't so obvious, and luckily the jacket was black so it matched her skirt anyway. She could smell Emily's lingering perfume on the jacket. She'd wear it all day if she thought she could get away with it.

Emily glanced at the window and realized it was fogged up, she smiled to herself when she noticed a large hand print. She opened the door to air out the car.

"We still never had that talk." JJ said carefully. She'd be loathed to ruin the moment by creating tension all over again, not that it resulted in an unhappy ending.

"What talk?" Emily said confusedly. Had they been talking? She couldn't remember.

JJ raised an eyebrow and said teasingly. "Emily Prentiss, you're in love with me."

Now Emily remembered. The brunette corrected her defensively, "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

Emily totally was. "No, I'm not, Jennifer. Maybe you're flattering yourself." Meaningless sex, Emily could handle, but she'd be damned if she let herself open up like she did their first time. That was just stupid of her. She wouldn't make that same mistake again, not without some kind of certainty.

JJ forced herself to remain calm. She'd discovered that Emily liked to avoid things by picking fights. She wouldn't let her do that this time. If the profiler wanted to deny it, then she'd let her...for now. "Okay, Emily. But I want you to know that I'm not sure how I feel about us..." JJ knew she had to be politically correct with the profiler so she amended her statement, "I mean about you." Technically, they weren't an 'us'.

Emily hated herself for what she was about to say. It was rather pathetic, she knew it, but she would have as much of JJ as she could no matter what capacity. She shrugged nonchalantly, "So lets just have fun."

"Fun?"

"That's one way to put it," the profiler said enticingly.

"Friends with benefits?" JJ confirmed innocently.

Emily fought the urge to roll her eyes. JJ's hometown couldn't have been _that_ small, could it?

"Yep, and we can just see where it takes us." Then Emily quickly added, "But no-strings." That was a flat out lie. For Emily there were already strings, ropes even, but she didn't want JJ to feel guilty about not returning her feelings at this stage. She would keep it to herself in the meantime.

JJ smiled. "Okay."

Emily returned her smile and got out of the car.

JJ sounded dazed, "Wait, where are you going?"

The profiler raised an eyebrow, "Back to work, remember?"

"Oh. Oh yea." The press liaison nodded hesitantly. Now JJ understood what it meant to have one's brains 'fucked out.'

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Rating: R for language and some smut

Disclaimer: I don't own them. You can tell because Emily/JJ isn't canon. :-P

Summary: JJ goes to check on Emily after a rough case and their relationship changes into something else. This chapter: Emily learns something about JJ, will their relationship be able to survive it?

A/N: I self beta, so I'd like to pre-apologize for any errors.

**Fluff Buddies**

Chapter 3

by Semerket

"Emily, you're going to make us late!" JJ whined unconvincingly as her lover pushed her up against the front door of her immaculate condo. Jennifer sighed, "Again..."

Hotch usually didn't pay much attention to their arrival times, but it was going to seem awfully coincidental if she and Emily came into work at the exact same time every day, late or otherwise. The brunette halted the press liaison's protests by kissing her, but the profiler knew JJ was right. They _were_ going to be late if Emily had anything to do with it. Its not like she was looking forward to another paperwork day. JJ chuckled as Emily kissed a wet trail along her jawline.

A breathless Emily smiled into Jennifer's neck. "I think we have a few more minutes."

JJ rolled her eyes comically, "Emily Prentiss, you are _insatiable_."

Emily smiled seductively, "You weren't complaining earlier."

JJ blushed as the steamy memories from the night before came rushing back. Feeling the situation was heading south, although not in a bad way, Jennifer mustered up the strength to resist the brunette's overtures.

"We're leaving for work," She said as authoritatively as possible; she wanted the profiler to know that she meant business. _"Now_." Emily just continued to suck on her ear lobe. She gently pushed Emily back.

"See!" JJ indicated her watch and glared. "Now we're barely going to get there on time." JJ _hated_ rushing. It added stress to an already stressful job; however, JJ was having a hard time feigning anger because Emily was giving her those eyes again, those sweet puppy dog eyes that begged her not to go. _Grrr_.

JJ straightened out her own coat and then fussed over Emily's collar before turning around and unlocking door. "And stop giving me that _look_, Em. It not like you aren't coming too." Emily grabbed her purse and followed after her.

"Sounds delightful." Emily wiggled her eyebrows seductively.

JJ laughed, "Is your mind always in the gutter?" Lately everything she said seemed to have some kind of innuendo for the profiler to pick up on.

"Only since you put it there, Jennifer."

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Emily wanted to rip her hair out. It had been a long, boring day revolving around her never ending stack of reports. It was time for a coffee, another one. She stood up and was on her way to grab said beverage when she saw JJ poke her head of her office. She seemed nervous.

"Um Emily, can I talk to you for a sec?" The press liaison beckoned her over.

"Sure." The brunette walked into JJ's office and shut the door behind her. Emily was met with a frown.

"You need to stop doing _this_," JJ pulled her hair back and indicated her neck. It looked like a map of Indonesia, JJ was so thoroughly covered in hickeys.

Emily covered her mouth with her hand and smiled sheepishly, "Oh my god. I'm so... sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all. "Its not _too bad_ though..."

"Don't laugh! The others will notice it."

"Why didn't you put some make up on this morning-"

JJ put her hands on her hips. "I didn't have them when we left..."

"Oh." Emily blushed as she recalled their lengthy, impromptu make-out session in the car after their lunch hour. "Is this why you've been hiding out in your office?"

JJ just blinked at her in response.

"Um... You could wear a scarf..." Emily tried to suppress a chuckle. She knew it was somewhere in the 80s outside. "Do you have any lipstick on you?"

"You mean so that I can circle them and point them out with big red arrows?"

"I once read in _Cosmo_ that if you take a lipstick cap and twist it over a hickey, it'll disappear in a few minutes."

JJ observed her thoughtfully, "Wow. You actually read _Cosmo_?"

Emily shrugged noncommittally, "It was the only thing they had when I went to my dental appointment."

JJ playfully slapped her arm and went about trying to hide her neck behind a wall of blond hair.

"Uh oh, am I in trouble now?" Emily asked suggestively.

"Vampire."

Emily chuckled and put her hands up in defeat. After she came out of Jennifer's office she headed to the other side of the bullpen to get that coffee she'd been craving.

Realizing that she'd have to make an appearance at some point, JJ ventured into the bullpen to drop off some files. It was almost time to go home and she couldn't put off making her rounds any longer. Derek stopped his conversation with Reid when JJ entered the bull pen. "Well at least one of us is getting some..." He grinned at the press liaison like a Cheshire cat as he leaned against the edge of his desk.

JJ turned bright red and fumbled with her hair again. "Derek, please." She whined.

They both chuckled, attracting the attention of Garcia, who had just joined the group. She had her colorful tote bags and it was clear that she was on her way home for the day. "Oh who's getting some?"

The guys grinned at JJ. Garcia's eyes widened when she saw her friend's neck. "Oh my gosh, Jayj, good for you. So who is it? Anyone we _know_?"

JJ just laughed it off, locking eyes with Emily as the profiler approached the group.

"What's up guys?" Emily was stirring her coffee as she caught the tail end of the conversation.

Garcia looked over the rim of her colorful glasses, "Jayj is getting some. We're trying to figure out who."

Emily blinked and paused before taking a sip of the coffee. "Is that so?" The brunette winked at the press liaison.

"Spill!" Garcia begged.

Emily suppressed her laughter, "Yea, Jennifer. S_pill_."

JJ turned even redder as she stared at Emily. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She thought about outing themselves just to annoy her, but she knew she would regret that later. Emily was so kissable in that moment, kissable and punchable.

JJ chuckled at the group, "Its not really what it looks like."

"Who?!" Garcia demanded to know.

As Emily watched the comical scene play out, she was suddenly struck by how beautiful Jennifer was. _'Careful, Prentiss,'_ the profiler caught herself just in time. She was just about to blatantly ogle the press liaison in front of all their coworkers. Prentiss knew that JJ hated the teasing so she decided it would be best to intervene. Not to mention that Emily wanted sex later.

"Guys, we're not supposed to profile each other remember?"

"You don't have to be a profiler to know what those bad boys mean." Derek laughed. JJ was so going to steal Emily's Covergirl as soon as she wasn't looking.

Garcia cleared her throat. She would stop pestering her best friend for the time being. "Anyway! I wanted to know if you would be interested in joining me for a night of dancing, drinking, and merry making?"

"Count me in." Derek gave Penelope a high five. It felt like ages since he'd been out. Reid nodded his approval.

They looked at Emily and JJ who were, unbeknown to their teammates, trying to come up with suitable excuses as quickly as possible.

Emily pretended to be disappointed. "Sorry guys, I'm meeting an old friend in DC."

Garcia pouted, but she actually preferred that Emily didn't come along. She had noticed that Emily and JJ had been spending more and more time together and she was starting to feel left out. It was like Emily had hijacked her best friend. "What about you, Jayj?"

JJ scratched her ear and shifted uncomfortably. She had to resist the urge to glance at the brunette for reassurance. "I have plans actually."

Pfft. Since when did her friend have a social life? Penelope asked skeptically, "Oh, please. Like _what_?"

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"Like _this_?" JJ asked her lover teasingly.

"Ah..ah..yes" A naked Emily hissed as she neared her climax beneath an equally naked JJ. Emily had been skeptical at first, but Jennifer had been right all along.

The strap-on was a _marvelous_ idea.

Jennifer thrust into her slowly and teasingly as she caught a hardened nipple between her lips and gently sucked. The press liaison took her time as she fondled the profiler's breasts mercilessly. Taking her tongue, she slowly raked it from Emily's chest to her neck. Emily moaned wantonly as JJ trusted between her legs more steadily.

"Harder." She rasped.

"You like that?" JJ whispered in her ear seductively as she increased her efforts.

"Mmm...yes." Emily panted through ragged breaths. "Uh... faster."

JJ used her free hands to roam over Emily's breasts. JJ felt a flash of her own arousal at the sound of Emily's desperate mewling. It was time for her to come. The blond thrust and ground her hips enthusiastically between Emily's thighs as she took her over the edge.

"Jay.. ah, ah, ah, yes!" Emily groaned, her voice rough from vocalizing.

The profiler arched into her lover as Jennifer kissed her along her neck. JJ could feel something feral possess her as she bit down on Emily's shoulder. They held each other for a few moments before JJ slid out of Emily. The brunette gently kissed Jennifer just below her ear.

"Hey, that's off limits now." A sated JJ gently nudged Emily's head away from her bruised neck before she could get any more ideas.

"And you call _me_ a vampire!" Emily touched her bruised shoulder and laughed, "Why Ms. Jareau, I do believe you have a dark side."

JJ shrugged, "I told you you'd like it." She referred to the strap-on.

"Yes, you did." Emily smiled at JJ. "I'm surprised you liked it though. I thought it might be too big for you."

"It was a tight fit, but you..." A sly smile appeared on JJ's face as she recalled the reverse of their positions, "Worked it just right." JJ shimmied out of the harness and discarded it on the other side of the bed. Emily rolled Jennifer over so that they were side by side.

Emily had been searching for the right moment to confess her clichéd feelings of undying love for the press liaison, but she still wasn't sure how the other woman felt about her. The profiler could swear that she returned her feelings, but every time Jennifer showed it she would suddenly draw away. She looked into her beautiful blue eyes, searching for some sign that Jennifer might feel the same way that she did. Or was this just fun for JJ? Emily reached out and gently stroked her face. She was surprised at what she saw there: trepidation. Was Jennifer afraid of her? Or was she afraid she would hurt Emily's feelings? They're relationship had been in a kind of limbo for the last few months now and Emily was beginning to worry a little. She hoped Jennifer wasn't waiting for someone better to come along.

JJ gazed into Emily's big brown eyes. Emily was too beautiful, too perfect for her. She wondered everyday why an ambassador's daughter would want anything to do with some townie from East Allegheny. It would only be a matter of time before Emily met someone more worthy of her. It would be easier for JJ to deal with the inevitable failure of their 'relationship' if she kept her distance. JJ knew she would never be good enough for Emily.

Jennifer tensed when Emily stroked her face. Wanton sex, she could handle. Cuddling, she could handle. But the look that Emily was currently directing her screamed only one thing: commitment. A word that typically sent JJ running and screaming in the opposite direction. JJ felt a question coming on, so she did the only thing she could think of to halt its approach. Emily's eyes bugged when JJ suddenly grabbed her and kissed her. Just a moment ago, she could swear she'd felt the other woman tense under her touch.

_Bizz._

They broke apart for a moment and considered the noise they were hearing. JJ sighed and reached across Emily and checked her cell phone.

Emily chuckled, "Again? There's not someone else is there?" Emily teased her lover.

"Its just my relatives." JJ smiled slightly. "Wanna order some takeout or something"

"What time is it?"

JJ chuckled. "Time to feed me."

Emily and JJ both got out of bed. After arriving at some semblance of decency, Emily went downstairs and turned on the TV, while JJ finished up in the shower.

_Bizz_.

Emily peeled her eyes away from the TV screen when she heard JJ's phone vibrate on the table. It stopped vibrating after a few seconds and she could tell that it went to voice mail.

_Bizz_.

She recognized the second noise as a text message. Emily didn't want to answer it, it wasn't her phone, but she felt compelled to in the event that it was work related. And if she were honest with herself, she was just feeling nosy. She grabbed the phone and clicked on the new text messages. It was from a number that wasn't programmed into her phone.

It said:

_'Hey hottie, just wondering what you were up to? Can't stop thinking about you since Saturday. I'd like to take you out again sometime.'_

"What the fuck?" Emily muttered to herself. JJ blew her off last week to go visit her family, or so she had _said_. Somehow Emily didn't believe that JJ's parents would send her this kind of text message. Hell, she doubted they even knew how to text. Her mother didn't.

The words 'take you out again' seared themselves into her brain. Emily's paranoia kicked into full blast. That love declaration was going to have to wait. Jennifer was sleeping with someone else! JJ was hers damn it. _Hers_.

JJ was fully dressed and toweling off her hair when she plopped down next to Emily on the sofa.

Emily said quietly, "Your phone rang. I think it went to voice mail."

JJ frowned, oblivious to Emily's change in mood. "I hope we don't have a case."

Emily watched as JJ checked the number. The blonds body language tensed and she glanced at Emily quickly. She got up and moved away to listen to the voice mail. That was odd. She didn't have to leave the room to listen to a voice mail, did she? JJ came back after a few minutes and sat back down.

"We have a case?" Emily asked, even though she already had a pretty good idea of _who_ just called.

JJ smiled, "Nope. It wasn't work related."

"Okay." She stared at Jennifer, expecting her to elaborate. What would her lie be this time?

"I'm going to visit my mother this weekend. She's been nagging me for the last few weeks."

_Lies!_

"I thought you visited your parents last weekend?" JJ hardly ever went back to her hometown to visit, but now she's going twice in the same month... not likely. "I'm not stupid Jennifer, who the hell was that?"

Oops. JJ's mouth dropped open. She laughed nervously. Damn, she sucked at lying. She thought she'd be better at it, what with all the press conferences she'd done, but apparently not. "Well I did visit them last weekend."

"Jennifer..." Emily ground out impatiently.

"Even if it wasn't my Mom, how the hell would you know? But I don't really see how its any of your business anyway."

"Yea, I can't imagine that your mother would refer to you as _'hot stuff.'_"

Emily must have been snooping on her phone!

"You went through my messages?" JJ stood up angrily. "You have no right to go through my stuff!"

Emily stood up too. "I heard it ring. I checked to see if it was from Hotch," Emily explained herself as though it should have been obvious.

"It doesn't matter, Emily. I don't go through your stuff when you're out of the room."

Wait just a minute. JJ was trying to change the subject, "Are you sleeping with someone else?"

JJ was enraged at the accusation, how dare she. "How can I be sleeping with someone else if I'm _always_ sleeping with you?"

"Then who was it?"

JJ sighed, "Look, Emily. There's this guy," Emily immediately crossed her arms defensively. She just _knew_ it. "He has a thing for me, but that's all it is."

Emily was still skeptical. "A '_thing_'? Yea, JJ, when you let someone take you out they tend to develop '_things_' for you."

"Oh, please, are you going to freak out every time a guy checks me out? Its going to happen from time to time."

Then Emily thought of something, "Is _this_ why you've been demanding the strap-on lately?" Emily accused.

"Are you kidding? You like taking it more than I do! Besides, I've never actually gone out with him." JJ said incredulously.

Emily was seeing red, she didn't believe her. "Is it someone I know? Is it someone at work?" The possibilities shuffled through her mind. Derek, too brotherly. Reid, too nerdy. Rossi, too old. Hotch, too boring_._ So who the fuck was it? They were _so_ dead!

Emily had never really been the jealous type. Growing up an Ambassador's daughter had left her wanting for little, at least materially. So when she found herself rifling through Jennifer's purse in a jealous rage, she felt as though she'd been possessed by some other person.

"The fu- Give me my purse you maniac!" JJ wrestled the purse from Emily's angry grasp. "The only person I'm seeing from work is _you_."

"Tell me who it is!"

"You know what... I don't have to listen to this." JJ snapped as she grabbed her things and marched towards the door.

Emily grabbed her arm roughly as she was on her way out. "Are you lying to me? Because I deserve better than this!"

That stung. "I'm sure you're right, Emily. Maybe you need someone more on your _level_." Jennifer was so upset she couldn't even think straight; the brunette always managed to push her buttons, the good and the bad. She was also ashamed because a part of her knew that Emily was right. She did deserve better than her.

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Penelope heard a light tapping on the other side of her office door.

"You may enter." Garcia said without taking her eyes away from her computer screen. She could hear the door shut as someone approached her from behind.

"Hey Garcia, I was wondering if you could look up a phone number for me?" Emily asked tiredly. She hadn't been able to get much sleep last night on account of Jennifer Jareau's secret life.

"Of course I can, sweetheart." Garcia added sarcastically, "It _is_ my job."

"I mean this is... personal. So I'd rather you kept it to yourself."

"Okay..."

"I need you to pull up Jennifer's phone records."

Garcia's lips formed a surprised 'O'. She remembered the last time she did something like that; it had gotten her into a bit of trouble. And needless to say that Garcia was not thrilled at the idea of spying on her best friend. Emily realized what Penelope was thinking so she played her cards carefully, "I just want to make sure that this person will be good for JJ. Ya know, do a little back ground check..."

"Oh! You mean you wanna find out who JJ's new boyfriend is?!" Garcia clapped her hands together excitedly.

Emily smiled, "Yea basically."

"Anything for one of my favorite profilers!" Once presented with the opportunity to figure out who her best friend's mystery lover was, Garcia didn't need any more coercing.

"Thanks."

"No problemo."

Emily handed Garcia a yellow post-it note where she had scrawled down the ominous digits. Penelope's fingers danced across the keyboard rapidly. After a few seconds of typing and searching Garcia had some answers. She was so giddy with excitement that she wasn't able to feel guilty about digging into her friend's personal life. "Yup, he's been calling her a few times a week. The calls increased in the last month. And it looks like..." She brought up another screen, "He bought a plane ticket... he was here last week."

Garcia was so busy giggling at her new bit of gossip, that she failed to notice that Emily was clenching her fists so tightly that her knuckles were turning white... well, as white as they could. He had not only called, but he had _visited_ too. Emily had caught her in another lie. She felt like she was going to be sick.

The technical analyst laughed, "Wow. I guess we know whose been giving Jayj those hickeys, huh-"

Garcia spun around in her chair as Emily stormed out of her office. She stared after the brunette's retreating form. "Was it something I... said?"

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Emily had _never_ liked that guy. She didn't like a damn thing about him: the way he walked, the way he looked, his height, his stupid accent, his last name, she _really_ hated his name... Emily could write a book on everything she despised about Will LaMontagne, a trilogy even. There was also his overt attraction to JJ, which was by far the most disturbing thing about him. She remembered he was an aggressive flirter and he had showered Jennifer with all his attention, while all Emily could do was stand there feeling impotent. She wished they'd never gone to New Orleans.

She had wanted to reel back and knock the smirk off his face, but aside from the fact that assaulting a police officer was a criminal offense, she wasn't even supposed to be in a relationship with a coworker anyway. God, every time the man spoke, it didn't matter if he was reciting the Gettysburg address, he was doomed to sound like a drunken mental patient.

The sun shone brightly and the birds sang as he strolled into the middle of the road.

'Hoooooonk!'

By the time Will LaMontagne had turned around it was too late for him to dodge the large big rig baring down on him.

'Hoooooonk!'

"Anybody home?" Derek waved his hand in front of Emily's face. She had been daydreaming at her desk again. She frowned slightly at Derek; she was just getting to the best part.

"Yes?" She asked testily. Derek raised an eyebrow. Emily had been irritable ever since she'd come to work and he doubted it had anything to do with pms.

"You okay, Prentiss?" He asked genuinely concerned. Less than seventy two hours ago she seemed like the happiest person in the world. Must be guy problems.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Between Jennifer being a chronic liar and Will's... _existence_, Emily wasn't in a good mood.

"You just seem a bit hostile lately." Derek stated honestly. "Something is bothering you."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said curtly.

He sighed, "Of course, you don't." Derek shook his head at her stubbornness. "But you know I'm a good listener, right?"

She smiled tiredly. Derek was a good guy and she was loathed to take it out on him. "Yea I know, Derek. Thanks."

Jennifer approached the two of them. She looked Derek in the eye and spoke directly to him. Emily didn't bother to bring her eyes up to look at the press liaison. "We have a briefing in five."

Derek responded, oblivious to any tension, "Thanks, baby girl."

JJ was the first to enter and took her seat closest to the dry erase board that sometimes doubled as a projector screen. Emily took a seat at the opposite end of the table; she wanted to sit as far away from the press liaison as possible. One by the one, the rest of the team trickled into the briefing room and sat down. They all stared at JJ expectantly, everyone except for Emily, who found her fingernails highly fascinating.

As the press liaison passed everyone a file, she answered their silent question, "We're just waiting for Hotch and, oh, here she is."

The room immediately brightened as Garica joined them in the conference room and pulled up a chair. She smiled brightly at everyone, "Hi guys!"

"Garcia will be coming with us on this case to take a look at the local surveillance systems." JJ explained, the technical analyst didn't usually accompany them on cases.

Realizing that they were about to show crime scenes, Garcia frowned dramatically, "I'm not going to see anything horrible am I?"

JJ smiled warmly at Penelope. She was grateful for her friend's banter. "I'll give you a heads up."

"Where are we heading anyway?" Garcia asked curiously.

"Looks like we're going to Louisiana again."

Emily felt the bile rise in her throat. Please let it not be New Orleans... _Please not New Orleans... Please not New Orleans..._

"Next case is in Baton Rouge."

_Phew!_

A moment later, Hotch entered the room. "I just got off the phone with our pilots. We won't be able to actually fly into Baton Rouge on account of Hurricane Amelia. Its wheels up as soon as the storm breaks. We'll just be going over the specifics of the case today." He said as he took a seat next to JJ.

The team nodded their understanding. Derek was skimming the file when he recognized a name. "Hey, LaMontagne is working this case? He's up in Baton Rouge now?" He remembered the detective from the Ripper copycat case they'd worked several months before.

_Speak of the devil._

"No. But he's offered to be a consultant." JJ answered his question.

Emily asked as calmly as possible, "Why would we need Detective _LaMontagne_ as a consultant?" She said his name with a hint of distaste. It was a valid question. If he wasn't the lead detective, surely there was something he could be working on in his own jurisdiction.

Jennifer shrugged. "Because he knows the area."

Emily chuckled sarcastically as she beat her anger into submission. "So does the GPS on Reid's iPhone. Doesn't he have cases in New Orleans to work on?" She didn't want to go off in front of her coworkers, but this was getting ridiculous. She knew they were thinking the same thing, except maybe for the part about how good Jennifer looked in that v-neck.

The rest of the team was now observing the conversation with extreme curiosity.

"He expressed an interest." She said irritably. What the hell was Emily's problem? She could just strangle her when she was like this.

"_Why_?"

"Is that a problem for you, Emily?" JJ challenged the profiler.

"I think its a waste of his time and ours." Emily felt as though she were stating the obvious. They really didn't need him around.

Then JJ remembered. She smiled grimly. "I think you're just jealous."

"Excuse me?"

"I think you're jealous."

The brunette laughed incredulously, "Of...?"

"Then what's your problem? Because I know you've never liked him." She had her number there. Everyone could sense Emily's aversion to LaMontagne back in New Orleans; although, they never understood why. Most had just assumed it was a class thing.

Rossi had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. He figured this was a case they'd worked before he came back from retirement.

"You're sleeping with him." Emily said resentfully. Everyones head snapped in Emily's direction, it was a wonder that Derek didn't get whip lash.

"What!" Everyone's head snapped in JJ's direction.

"I think your personal feelings for him are clouding your judgment regarding this case." Emily said self righteously, crossing her arms as she did so.

"Is that so, Agent Prentiss?" Well wasn't that the pot calling the kettle black.

JJ crossed her arms too. The rest of the team just watched in a kind of awe at what they were witnessing.

"How do you know anything about Will?"

"You carry his number around with you like its a friggin' lifeline!"

"What?!"

"You keep his number in your wallet."

"You went through my wallet?" JJ was incredulous. When was this? She wasn't sure if she should be offended that Emily didn't trust her or flattered that she was jealous enough to check.

"You asked me to get you your credit card!"

"I have a lot of business cards in my wallet and I'm sure you do too."

"Yea, but you call him every weekend since the two of you met."

"How...?"

"I had Garcia check." JJ shot Penelope a _look_.

Garcia threw her hands up apologetically and exclaimed, "Holy, crazy coworkers, Batman! I only use my powers for good!" She had no idea why Emily wanted that information and she still didn't quite get it.

Ignoring Garcia, Emily continued her angry accusations. "And he came to visit you a week ago and you lied and told me you were visiting your mother."

Hotch was furious. He had no idea what was going on, but it was embarrassing, whatever it was! He had it in his mind to tell them both off, but he decided to hold off for a bit. And if he were honest with himself he'd have to admit, they were kind of scary like this.

"Once again, Emily. This is none of your damned business!"

Rossi tried to act as a mediator, "Ladies, please-"

They both snapped at him simultaneously, "_Was I talking to you, David?" "I'm pretty sure you weren't a part of this conversation!"_

His attempts to make peace were brutally derailed and he shrank away in defeat. Derek held his hands up as well, he wanted to shield himself from the fiery breath whenever it would inevitably come.

Rising out of her chair, JJ ground out, "I think the only person's whose letting their feelings cloud their judgment is _you_, Emily."

Emily popped out of her seat. "Fuck you!"

JJ returned her look of rage and incredulity. "Fuck me? No, fuck you, Emily. Fuck. You." Emily stormed out of the room and JJ stormed out after her.

Everyone was frozen in shock.

Rossi was unable to suppress his amused grin; this took him back. He'd never forget the time that Julia and his now ex-wife came to his job and made a scene. Those were the days. There were only three things that would make this moment complete: a beer, his dog, and his sinfully comfortable recliner. It was like watching _The Guiding Light_ with guns. God, he missed that show... not that he'd ever admit that to anyone.

Derek let out a low whistle, "Wow. And to think if we hadn't come to work today, we might have missed this."

Garcia blinked rapidly. "Hell hath no fury..."

Rossi laughed, "I'd reprimand them both if that hadn't been so damned entertaining." Hotch glared at David, he was supposed to set an example.

Reid asked confusedly. "Um, what's going on?"

Hotch sighed, he supposed it was his job to resolve the situation. Some days he really hated his life and today was _definitely _one of those days. Hotch headed out of the conference room in search of the unruly agents. They hadn't made it very far. He could see them gesturing animatedly through the window of JJ's office.

Hotch marched across the bullpen and yanked open the door furiously. He bellowed at the two women, "In my office, now!"

To be continued...

Please Review... they make me write faster


	4. Chapter 4

Rating: M for some language and smut

Disclaimer: If I owned them, Will would die... and it would be canon. lol.

Summary: JJ goes to check on Emily after a rough case and their relationship changes into something else. This chapter takes place immediately after previous chapter...so you might wanna read that first. ;-)

A/N: I wouldn't call this my best chapter... I actually hate it a little. Sorry, it took me SO LONG to update this time, but my muse wouldn't shut the hell up so I got sidetracked with all these other ideas. That or I'm crazy. But I hope you enjoy it anyway... lol.

**Fluff Buddies**

Chapter 4

by Semerket

Hotch stormed into his office with the two women in tow. After he shut the door, he moved to the other side of his desk, and studied his agents. He'd needed to put some distance between himself and the two women before him, just in case...

He glowered at both of them. "What the hell was that about?"

JJ and Emily shot each other withering looks, daring the other to speak first. Hotch had never seen this side of them before.

"Have you two been engaging in a sexual relationship?" He asked, even though he had a feeling he was stating the obvious.

JJ answered hesitantly, "Um... yes."

"We're not really _in_ a relationship." Emily muttered bitterly.

"Yes, we are." JJ said irritably. She felt a pang of hurt now. Emily had thrown her under the bus in front of Hotch.

"We're _not_ together." Emily said to Hotch, refusing to look at Jennifer. Damn it, she was trying to avoid a transfer. Duh.

JJ scowled at her even more intensely. And after Emily had made such a big deal about _everything!_ God, she wanted to choke her. "Then why are you such a psycho, Emily?!" JJ felt the tears accompanying her frustration.

That was a good question. They didn't call it the 'green-eyed monster' for nothing.

Given nature of their jobs, Emily really _resented_ being compared to a psycho. "I don't know, Jennifer, why are you such a slu-"

"Prentiss!" Hotch stopped the verbal sparring match before it had a chance to start again. He surmised that if he had born a woman he would probably be in tears by now, unless he were born like Strauss, in which case... never mind.

He replied sternly, "As soon as you walk into this building I expect you to carry yourselves in a professional manner at all times! Not only do the consequences of your actions reflect on this unit, but they reflect on the bureau as well. This is _exactly_ why there are rules regarding relationships between coworkers."

He gaged their reactions to see if his words were having any kind of impact whatsoever. Aaron had dealt with some of the most dangerous people on the planet, but for the first time in years, he had absolutely no concept of how to deal with... _this_.

Emily spoke first, the logical part of her mind had finally succeeded in overthrowing the emotional one.

She was very formal, "Sir, I'd like to apologize for my actions and assure you that it will never happen again." Emily hung her head slightly. The magnitude of their little spat was finally sinking in.

"You're damn right it won't." He snapped angrily. "I'm sending both of you home for the rest of the day. Whatever problem the two of you are having- work it out. I won't allow you to break up this team." Hotch would have fainted if Strauss had been present.

He shot them both withering looks. "You owe the rest of the team an apology. Then you're going to stay away from each other, is that clear?"

"Sir."

"Yes, Sir."

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"I can't believe she dragged me into this! I'm putting this in my blog-" Garcia said conspiratorially to Derek.

"Shh! They're coming back!" Reid hissed. Everyone swiveled in their chairs and tried to look busy.

Having been thoroughly chastised, the now somber agents made their way back into the conference room where everyone avoided eye contact with them. It was a special kind of awkward. Derek fumbled with a pencil, while Reid stared at a case file. Penelope eyed everyone nervously, she hoped she wasn't in trouble too. Rossi smiled slightly as the two women came in. He was hoping for round two; it was nice to get one's mind off of work for a change.

JJ started hesitantly, "I..." she glanced at Emily and blushed, "_We_ would like to apologize if we offended anyone...um.."

Emily reiterated, "We're really sorry."

The rest of team nodded and seemed to accept that, everyone except Derek. Feeling compelled to add his two cents, he adopted his dramatic posture and began, "I _care_ about this team and-"

JJ cut him off and said smartly, "Derek, we came over here to apologize, not listen to a lecture from _you_." They'd had more than enough 'lecture' to last them for a long time.

Emily added, "We'll see you at wheels up." Then they both turned and walked out quickly.

Everyone tried to suppress a smile as they left. Rossi and Garcia laughed at Derek's expense.

Derek was dumbfounded; that had never happened before, "What?"

Rossi said, "For someone who's supposed to be a ladies man, you sure don't know when to keep your mouth shut."

"But-"

Garcia chuckled, "You have much to learn, grasshopper."

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"You were the one that said 'no strings'!" JJ complained. The two had resumed arguing as soon as their feet hit the asphalt of the parking lot.

"You didn't honestly think that I _meant_ that, did you?" Emily followed an irate Jennifer to her car.

Jennifer huffed incredulously. "Are you kidding me?"

"You knew I was lying when I said that."

"Do you know how irrational you sound right now?" JJ stopped when she arrived at her car.

Emily tried to calm down. She ground out slowly, "I'm not being irrational. I was _obviously_ just telling you that to make you feel better! And now you're using that as an excuse to cheat on me and be emotionally distant."

"Cheat? How can I cheat on someone that I'm 'not really in a relationship with'?" Jennifer said bitterly, throwing Emily's words back at her.

Emily rolled her eyes, "We've always been in a relationship whether you choose to call it that or not. I just said that because Hotch was asking."

"Only in _your_ mind, Emily!" Jennifer was almost laughing at the hypocrisy. "And only when you feel like it."

"And in your mind too! I see the way you look at me."

Jennifer was genuinely baffled. She just didn't 'get' Emily sometimes. "Are you crazy? I mean really, Emily, are you crazy?"

Emily had to think about that for a moment. Was she? Jennifer certainly made her crazy.

"Jennifer," Emily sighed, "How do you feel about me? About us?"

"How do you feel about _me_?" Jennifer asked defensively and crossed her arms. She didn't want to admit that Emily was right; JJ had known about Emily's feelings ever since the first time they slept together. It wasn't JJ's fault if she'd never admit it. Or was it? She tried to stomp down all fledgling feelings of guilt.

"You know I'm in love with you." Emily said quietly, setting herself up for rejection. There was no use in denying it.

"Emily, I didn't 'cheat' on you. No matter what you might think. Yes, Will has a thing for me, but it never went anywhere."

"That's not what I asked you." Emily was crying now.

JJ looked at her with apprehension as she opened the door to her car and got in. She never answered Emily's question.

Hotch frowned as he watched them from the window. He could see the two women arguing beside their cars in the parking lot. This didn't exactly bode well for team synergy. The atmosphere in the room was more somber and everyone had been affected by it. Everyone except Dave, who was in good spirits, a little too good for the events that had just transpired.

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That night...

JJ was only on her second drink when she felt someone sit next to her at the bar. When she turned to see who it was, she was taken aback. It was Hotch. He was sitting more stiffly than usual and he was obviously uncomfortable.

"JJ."

"Hey." She said weakly as she stared down longingly at her half empty glass. "How did you find me here?"

"I'm a profiler." He answered cryptically.

JJ nodded skeptically. "I'm that predictable, am I?"

He shrugged. "I saw your car parked out front."

She quirked an eyebrow at that.

He answered in a monotone, "I drove past your house, but your car wasn't parked outside and the lights were off. I know you're too angry to be within a mile of Prentiss. And I recall you mentioning this lounge twice in casual conversation last Tuesday."

"Ah. Creepy." Jennifer blinked. Did Hotch follow all his agents home? He needed to get a life.

Hotch read the look on her face and tried to further explain himself. "I thought you might want to... talk about it."

How sweet.

Hotch was trying to tell her that he loved her, albeit in his own emotionally retarded way. It always amazed JJ that someone, who was such an expert at reading human behavior, could be so devoid of it themselves. It was times like this when JJ understood why his wife left him, Jesus Christ.

"How much trouble are we in? I mean, _really_?" She wanted to cut right to the chase.

"The rules about intra-office relationships within the Bureau are very clear." Hotch sighed on seeing her pained expression. He softened his tone. "What you and Prentiss do outside of work is none of my business. I'm not going to write up an official reprimand, but this can _never_ happen again. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." JJ smiled glumly. Her drink was finally starting to kick in slightly. She could feel herself beginning to relax.

"We have an excellent team and I don't want to see it broken up." Speaking of broken up, "So how long have you and Prentiss...?"

"A few months, I guess."

"Are the two of you serious?" Based on their passionate argument his assumption would be 'yes.'

JJ shrugged, allowing her fatigue to show, "I'm not sure what we are, but she's right... we're not really in a relationship. At least not officially." JJ took a sip of her drink and grimaced, not because of the strong taste, but because this conversation was something she was supposed to be having with Garcia or Derek... Hell, even Reid would've been more appropriate than her boss, her perpetually up tight boss. JJ hadn't felt this awkward since her dad had tried to explain the menstrual cycle to her.

Hotch considered his words carefully. "In our line of work it isn't easy to maintain close personal relationships," he said, thinking about how his marriage fell apart. "Its even more difficult to find someone who understands what we do. I think you and Prentiss could have something very special. You might want to think about it, before you toss it aside in the name of the job."

Whoa, wait a minute. JJ thought she heard a record screech to a halt. Was her boss giving her love advice?

"Are you encouraging Emily and I to... get together?" She found it quite amusing.

"I'm speaking to you as a friend, not as unit chief."

"Well what would the unit chief say?"

"He'd tell you to stay the hell away from each other." Hotch sounded serious, but the twinkle in his eye told her that he was joking... slightly.

She muttered cynically, "Good luck with that."

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JJ shambled through her front door and flipped the light on. After a few seconds she could hear Hotch pull out of her driveway. It was a good thing he'd stopped by the bar that night. Her little moping session had left her sufficiently toasted; she wasn't quite drunk, but she wasn't sober enough to drive either. She tossed her purse and coat over the couch and made a beeline for the stairs. After going through her usual nightly ablutions, she climbed into bed and tried to get what she'd been wanting: sleep. Unfortunately, sleep didn't want her.

She contemplated what could be wrong: she was tired, she was drunk, and it was late. Logic dictates that sleep should be the last of her problems in her current state. But then she remembered that something had changed. She wasn't sleeping with Emily; an event that had turned ritual over the last few weeks. Now she had to sleep without a warm, soft body spooning her from behind. There was also that other nagging issue.

She was horny.

There was only one way to take care of this... JJ sighed as she slipped her hand into her pants. She mentally thanked herself for not wearing any underwear to bed this time. She dipped her fingers into her already slick folds and let out a sigh. Then, brushing her thumb over her pearl, she conjured up one of her favorite memories from two weeks earlier:

_Emily accidentally rubbed her eye in a tired haze. She felt the stinging irritation when she realized she'd rubbed some mascara into her eye. Now it would water unless she wiped it. "Damn it." She mumbled, her words were barely audible. She yawned and stretched out her stiff neck. _

_It was late, or more precisely, it was early. She guessed it was probably around three or four in the morning. It was hard to tell when you were flying through time zones. She stood up and headed for the restroom of the small air craft. Everyone else was sound asleep. The last case had left them averaging about two to three hours of sleep over the last three days so they were drop dead tired._

_Emily walked into the cramped bathroom and closed the door. After she'd taken care of her watery eye, she opened the door and was greeted by the sight of the press liaison. _

_JJ had a feral glint in her eyes. She hurried into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. _

"_Jayj, what-" JJ put her hand over Emily's mouth to quiet her. _

"_I've always wanted to do this." JJ said huskily. She leaned forward and ran her tongue along the brunette's lips._

"_Whoa, they're right outside-" Emily quietly complained._

"_They're all asleep... really asleep." Jennifer whispered. JJ would've been asleep too if it hadn't been for Rossi's subtle snoring and the ambient noise from Derek's head phones._

"_I don't think I'm comfortable with this." Emily blushed. The odds of them getting caught were so terrifyingly high that she couldn't help but become aroused. If only they could get away with it... No, it was wrong! It was dangerous! Emily nodded her head gingerly and pushed Jennifer too her knees._

"_Just be quiet and it'll be fine." JJ smiled seductively. _

"_Are you sure-"_

"_Are we talking or fucking?" Jennifer said curtly._

_Emily chuckled, "Language Jennifer"_

_JJ quickly unzipped Emily's pants and tugged them down to her ankles. Emily felt a rush of wetness make contact with her underwear. JJ was actually going to blow her on the jet with their colleagues, and their boss, just twenty feet away. Emily was so ready._

_Emily held back a hiss when she felt JJ's soft tongue wrap around her pearl and suck. Emily spread her legs more to give Jennifer better access. She could feel the beads of sweat forming on her head as she focused on keeping her mouth shut. She wasn't able to stifle a small moan when she felt three of JJ's fingers thrust into her quickly._

"_Keep quiet or I'll stop!" Jennifer's words were muffled in her... well, muff._

_If Emily hadn't been so aroused she would've gotten angry. It was JJ's idea wasn't it? It wasn't really fair to... her train of thought derailed as Jennifer thrust into her rhythmically._

_The profiler felt her knees weaken as she neared her climax. She grabbed onto JJ's head and pushed her in deeper as she came. Her face contorted painfully from her inability to cry out. She had remained silent. Emily was proud of herself._

"_Wow." Emily mouthed as JJ got to her feet. _

_JJ whispered. "I guess we just joined the mile high club."_

"_That was incredible." Remembering important details, like where they were, and her name, Emily Prentiss quickly pulled her pants up and straightened herself out. _

"_It was my pleasure." JJ smiled seductively._

"_It was mine too." Emily checked herself out in the small bathroom mirror and carefully poked her head out. She prayed they were still sleeping. She snuck out and left Jennifer to get cleaned up. As JJ looked at herself in the mirror, she allowed a cocky smile to creep onto her face. _

JJ gasped and panted as she felt herself tighten. Now she wouldn't have any trouble getting to sleep.

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The flight to Baton Rouge took forever. In reality it had only taken about an hour, but between the turbulence from the storm and the turbulence between Emily and JJ, it had felt like an eternity. They hadn't made a scene during the flight, opting to give each other the silent treatment instead, but it hadn't improved the situation much.

One by one the team filed out of the plane with their umbrellas at the ready. Spencer swore as his umbrella turned inside out at a particularly strong gust of wind. Garcia moved her abnormally large, sunflower umbrella over his head. They huddled together as they rushed after rest of the team.

The sheriff was waiting for them by a series of vehicles.

"Agent Hotchner?" He had to shout over the wind.

Hotch rushed over to him, eager to get out of the storm. "Sheriff Dunham." The two men shook hands.

"I'm sorry about this awful weather! I know you requested three vehicles, but I was only able to get you this one SUV." The Sheriff went on to explain that they'd lost some of their fleet to storm damage.

The team huddled together around Hotch, trying to hear the man.

Hotch nodded as he took the keys, "That'll be just fine."

Hotch turned and addressed the team, his voice raised, "Garcia and I will be heading back to the station in the Sheriff's car. We'll see what we can get from surveillance. The rest of you will have to squeeze into the SUV. The drive will be about an hour with current weather conditions." He could see the dejected faces. "Who wants to drive?"

Everyone unanimously looked to Derek. He always drove. He took the keys from Hotch, as the rest of the team hurried over to the black SUV to get out of the rain.

Hotch said to Derek before he turned to leave, "And be careful on the roads, it looks like the storm hasn't quite finished."

Derek watched as the rest of the team loaded their overnight bags into the back of the vehicle. "The only storm I'm worrying about is the one that's going to go off in the car."

"I call shot gun!" Rossi snapped, ensuring a comfortable seat for himself; however, Spencer got there first and opened the door.

Rossi glared at Spencer, there was _no way_ he was sitting in the back with Emily and JJ. "Beat it, kid."

"But I got here first." Reid whined.

Rossi said authoritatively, "I am the second highest ranking agent on this case and when I say 'shotgun' that means you sit in the back!"

Reid looked defiant at that, but once he realized that Rossi had indeed pulled rank to sit in the front, he reluctantly got out of the seat.

JJ walked around to the drivers side of the car and got into the back. Reid waited for Emily to get in the car. She just stared at him.

He smiled politely, "After you."

"No, after _you_, Reid." Emily said impatiently, its not like she enjoyed getting rained on. "Move it."

He got in and scooted into the middle seat. This wasn't going to be pretty.

Derek had been driving for about a half hour and so far the two women hadn't said a word to each other. Thank god, maybe they'd over estimated the problem. Derek was chatting with Dave in the front, while Spencer sat awkwardly in the middle seat. JJ stared out the window. All she could see was rain and trees.

Emily sighed exasperatedly and said to no one in particular, "I can't _stand_ this part of the country."

Dave heard her, "Why?"

JJ cut in, "Because she's a _snob_."

_'And so it begins,_' Derek thought to himself. Reid, desperately trying to change the course of the conversation, said, "I really like your shirt, JJ."

JJ smiled tensely. She was still pissed, but she wouldn't take it out on Spencer. "Thanks."

Emily glanced at the dark blue, silk button up. She recognized it, and it made her blood boil. "Yea Jayj, you've always looked good... in _my_ clothes." The note of possessiveness in Emily's voice wasn't lost on the press liaison. If the guys hadn't been in the car with them, she might have found it rather sexy.

JJ looked at Emily incredulously, "Actually, this is _my_ shirt."

"No. Its _my_ shirt."

JJ said flippantly, "No, you just borrowed it so often that you've confused yourself."

"I know its my shirt because its _designer_, and I know that you don't buy designer clothes."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Emily. I didn't realize you wanted to play the class card."

"You're always the one making it an issue, Ms. _Allegheny_..."

Derek abruptly turned up the radio causing country music to come blasting out of the speakers, effectively drowning out the ensuing cat fight. David Rossi glared at Derek. He would rather listen to the cat fight than this garbage, at least it was amusing.

Spencer leaned forward to avoid accidentally incurring either women's ire. He clamped his hands over his ears. He never imagined that he might wish he could have been thinner, anything to put more distance between himself and the angry women at both his sides. Jennifer reached to the side to straighten out her seat belt and Reid flinched away thinking she was going to lunge at Emily.

Much to Derek's dismay, turning up the radio hadn't stopped their argument, rather it had increased the volume of it as they tried to make themselves heard over the blaring hill billy tones.

He cut the radio off angrily. "Okay, listen up ladies, the next time one of you says something smart, I swear to god, I will roll down all the windows. I don't care if we all we get wet!"

Reid and Dave stared at Derek with mortified looks. They cared!

"So unless you want all of us to get wet, I suggest you shut up and save it."

Emily and JJ crossed their arms and stared out of their windows.

Rossi warned, "You better not roll down my window, _agent_."

The only sound that could be heard for the next fifteen minutes was the rain pounding against the windshield.

As soon as they arrived at their destination an incredible thing happened, the sun came out. It was as though the storm had never happened on this side of town. Everyone filed out of the car, eager to stretch their legs and put some much needed space between one another.

All personal issues were immediately pushed aside as everyone focused on the case at hand.

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Hotch glanced at his watch and then checked out his team. It was getting late and they all looked exhausted.

He addressed everyone, "We've done all we can for today, its time to go and get some rest."

Everyone trickled out of the precinct.

Rossi caught up to Emily.

"Join me for dinner, Prentiss?" Dave phrased it as a question, but it was obviously an order.

She thought about saying 'no'. She wanted to say 'no'. But she was hungry and she didn't feel like being alone right now. At least with Dave, she knew she wouldn't have to worry about all that 'tell me how your feeling' stuff that Derek would throw at her.

They picked a diner about a block away from the precinct. There weren't many places that were still serving after ten. They both ordered a burger with fries- its was the main staple on the menu, and at this hour, it was good enough for them. They quietly sat munching on their burgers when from out nowhere David started talking.

"You're about to lose JJ. Permanently."

Emily blinked with surprise. What the hell.

"What would you know about it, Dave?" She snapped.

He chuckled, "I've been married and divorce three times. I know _everything_ about it." He paused thoughtfully, "Think of me as the Garcia of failed relationships. I'm... omniscient."

She couldn't help but smile at that. "That so?"

"Sadly, yes."

"Once again, I'm sorry I've been such a... today must've been pretty awful." She couldn't bare to think of some of things she'd said while under the influence of her jealousy addled brain.

"Yea, I thought I was married all over again." Taking a sip of his coke, he shrugged. "But seriously, you're too dramatic, Emily."

She scoffed at that. "Meaning?"

He gave her a sympathetic look. "You're pushing to hard."

Emily resented his sympathy. "She's been seeing other people."

"They don't matter."

Emily almost blew her milk shake out. "The hell they don't."

"The only one she really sees is you. She just needs more time to come around... and granted, it would help if there weren't other people around. I've found-"

"Are you talking to me, Dave, or are you writing a country western song?" As Dave had stated on more than one occasion, he did have a flare for the dramatic.

Rossi chuckled, "Prentiss, I'm trying to save you the trouble of an achy-breaky heart..."

She rolled her eyes at his silliness. "Why?"

"Because right now you're both a pain in the team's ass."

Emily was contrite. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Emily, just fix it." Rossi got up from the table. "By the way, that thing on the plane... don't do that again." He winked and tossed some cash on the table.

Her jaw dropped open and her mouth went dry, "How...?" Maybe they hadn't been as quiet as they'd thought!

"I'm old." He shrugged, "I have to go more often than the rest of you."

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

JJ had just finished getting dressed for bed when she heard a knock on the door. It was probably Emily. JJ wasn't sure if she should be happy about that or concerned. She didn't have the energy for another argument. She pulled the door open and was more than a little surprised (and disappointed) to find Will standing there. How the hell did he find her hotel room?

"Hey there, sugar." He drawled, using what he probably considered to be his most charming smile.

"Will." She smiled awkwardly, "I'm surprised to see you here." Just what she didn't need.

"Can I come in?" He walked into the room before she had time to say 'no'. She got a strong wiff of booze as he passed by.

She let out an exasperated sigh as she closed the door. "Will, I've had a long day and-"

"Why haven't you called me?" He asked. He was already annoyed that he'd been rejected as a consultant. Someone must have gone out their way to do that.

JJ frowned. "Will, this isn't going to work out."

"What isn't going to work out?"

"This..." She wasn't even sure what to call it. Curiosity? Desperation? A last ditch attempt to hold on to what she had thought of as her 'heterosexuality'?

"This 't_hing_' between us. I just don't see it going anywhere."

"Why not?" He said, raising his voice slightly.

She tried to think of ways to let him down easily. "Um... its a number of things. Long distance, and the nature of our jobs means that we lead _really_ busy lives..."

He was angry now. "Is there someone else?"

Wow. This conversation was starting to sound familiar. Rather than make the same mistake she'd made with Emily, she opted for honesty rather than subterfuge.

"Yes."

Then to her surprise, Will slammed his fist against the wall, causing JJ to jump and take a step back. She hadn't realized he was so temperamental- at least in the physical sense.

"Who is it?"

Well, it looked like she really was going to have that conversation again. She stared at the door as she tried to formulate a plan to get him on the other side of it.

"Its that big black guy, isn't it? I see the way you look at him!"

JJ stood frozen for a moment before she realized who he was even referring too. "Derek? No.. no he's just a friend."

Will was becoming more and more volatile. "Is it that pencil neck? Or your boss. Its your boss, isn't it?"

JJ just shook her head and stood beside the door. "I want you to leave."

"Who else could it be, damn it!" He approached JJ in a threatening manner.

They were both interrupted by frantic knocking on the door. JJ let out a relieved breath when she recognized the muffled voice coming from the other side of it.

Emily was extremely concerned, "Jennifer? Is everything okay?"

Will noticed JJ's reaction to the voice. Then it dawned on him. "No way..." He backed away from her with awe in his voice. "No. Fucking. Way."

JJ took his daze as an opportunity to open the door. "JJ, I heard shouting-" Emily froze when she saw LaMontagne.

He said resentfully, "_You_." Now he remembered the brunette. He'd always got the vibe that she never liked him, and now he understood why.

He said to JJ, "So you're breaking up with me because now you're a... a what? A homo?" He was laughing, but it was obvious he was still enraged.

Emily cut in sarcastically, "Is it _really_ that surprising to find out that you have that effect on women?"

He stopped laughing, "Fuck you, you stupid whore!"

Emily smirked at his feebleness, "Jennifer _certainly_ does."

Will lunged at Emily and JJ got between them. "Will, stop!"

He grabbed JJ angrily and shoved her into the wall roughly.

Emily was officially seeing red now. No one put their hands on JJ... and lived. Emily let him lunge at her again and as soon as he was close enough, her knee made contact with his groin. As he instinctively bent down to shield his screaming loins, she hit him in the face with a mean right hook.

"The door is that way." Emily said it calmly, but the threat was still present in her voice. He didn't need to be told twice and he stormed off.

A smug grin made its way onto Emily's face as she watched his retreating form disappear down the hall.

God, that felt good. It made the whole trip to Baton Rouge worth it. She turned back to check on JJ. The smile immediately vacated her face when she saw how upset Jennifer was. She shut the door and moved towards the press liaison.

"Jennifer, are you alright?"

JJ moved away from her, much to Emily's surprise. "What the hell, Emily? You didn't need to do that!"

Emily was confused now. Didn't JJ tell her to beat up her dead beat boyfriend? She could swear she'd heard her state it quite explicitly. "I... I was just trying to help."

"By assaulting a police officer."

"He assaulted a federal agent! That makes it about even, don't you think?" Emily was getting frustrated. Why couldn't Jennifer just be appreciative of her macho John Wayne moment by letting the brunette ravish her? "JJ, he was violent."

"Because you pushed him over the edge!" JJ accused.

"Will is an adult and he made his choices."

"And so are you."

It took a moment for Emily to absorb that. Was Jennifer blaming her? JJ couldn't be serious. "Are you taking his side?" Emily was hurt at the very idea.

"This isn't about taking sides."

"Then what the hell is it about?"

JJ took a calming breath. "This is about situations deteriorating as soon as you involve yourself."

Emily was incredulous, "Such as?"

"Like the office! And the car! And-"

"You started the thing in the car! That was all you! And I said I was sorry about the office."

"This isn't just about that..." JJ wasn't sure how to explain it, "You're too emotional, and you make me too emotional." JJ was tired damn it, and she didn't want to be having this conversation. "And lets face it, you need to learn to mind your own business."

"You are my business."

Jennifer sighed, "I'm a person, Emily, not an object."

"I know." Emily closed the distance between, standing as close as JJ would allow without actually touching her. "But you're _my_ person. My girl."

JJ felt her heart clench at the sincere look Emily was directing her way. She couldn't resist, and this time, she didn't want to. She leaned in and kissed Emily gently on the lips and then hesitantly moved back.

JJ wasn't able to stop the tears from falling from her eyes, but before she could wipe them away, Emily pulled her into an embrace. They just held each other for a few minutes.

JJ mumbled into the crook of Emily's neck. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too." Emily said. "Are we okay now?"

"Sleep with me."

"I'll take that as a yes." Emily laughed.

JJ chuckled, "Yes. But I mean sleep. I'm tired, but I don't want to be alone."

"Okay."

"And, Em?" JJ pulled away and gazed into the brunette's eyes.

"Mhmm?"

"I love you too." It came out as a whisper.

Emily cupped her face and smiled lovingly at her. "I know."

To be continued....


	5. Chapter 5

Rating: PG-13 – No smut in the last chapter- sorry fellow pervs. Maybe some language.

Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again: 'don't own 'em.'

A/N: Wow. I totally forgot that I had never really finished this fic!!! I just happened to find this file and I'm like, 'wait did I not finish this chapter?' Apparently not. *Doh!*. Now that you've all forgotten what the hell my story is about, I present you with: THE END. Ta da! LOL. I wasn't really sure how to end this, so I tried to wind it down to an appropriate conclusion. I hope you enjoy it. I enjoyed writing it. ;-)

**Fluff Buddies**

Chapter 5

by Semerket

After a few hours of fretful sleep, JJ quietly got out of bed. Her internal clock was telling her that it was probably around four in the morning. She sat down in a chair beside a small table on the opposite side of the room. She didn't bother to turn the lights on. She needed time to be alone with her thoughts.

When Emily awoke, she was confused about her whereabouts. Then she remembered the previous night. She frowned slightly when she realized she was still wearing her work clothes. She sat up and glanced around, until she saw Jennifer's dark outline sitting in the corner of the room.

"Jennifer? How long have you been sitting there?" Her voice was heavy with sleep. "Why are the lights off?"

"I didn't want to wake you." JJ sounded nervous. A red flag went up in Emily's head- not the best way to start the day.

The brunette sighed. "Well, I'm up now." Emily moved so that she was sitting at the edge of the bed facing the other woman. JJ's silence was making her uncomfortable. "Um... will you burst into flames if we turn the lights on?" She could hear JJ let out an amused sigh. She could make out her figure as she walked across the room and flipped the light switch. Then she came over to Emily and sat next to her on the bed. Emily studied her face closely. Jennifer looked like she might have been crying a few minutes ago.

"I've been thinking."

Emily ran a hand through her hair agitatedly. "I thought we were okay."

JJ answered resignedly, "I need to talk to you, but I'm not going to waste my time if you're just going to freak out. I won't be dragged into another screaming match with you."

"Okay..." Emily braced herself.

Jennifer raised an eyebrow skeptically. The profiler's tone suggested otherwise.

Emily put her hands up in defeat, "No freaking out. Promise. Say what you need to say..."

"We can't do this anymore."

Emily's brow furrowed, "Wait. So let me get this straight. You ask me to spend the night, you tell me everything is okay and that you love me. Then you turn around and reject me less than eight hours later?" Now Emily sounded irritated, she was tired of Jennifer's off-again on-again games.

JJ had been ready for this part. She'd spent the the last hour thinking about what she wanted to say and how the profiler might react to it. "I know. Its not that I don't love you, because I do. You know that-"

"So then the problem is?"

"We're too intense, in a bad way."

"Every couple has their problems."

"Yea, but our problems have gone from personal to professional in just a few days. The way you were in the car... You're lucky Dave likes you!"

Emily was dismayed, "'The way that I was'... Why is _everything_ always my fault? If we have a fight, its my fault. If you're unhappy, its my fault. If you spill your coffee, its somehow my fault. I just can't do _anything_ right, can I?" Emily wanted to cry.

JJ corrected herself, "You're right! I'm sorry. But it isn't important who starts it. The bottom line is that we just don't get along anymore."

Emily stood up and started pacing back and forth in front of the blond. "Why can't we try again?"

"Its like... a part of our relationship is broken."

"What _part_?" Emily was thoroughly frustrated.

JJ was frustrated too. "I don't know."

"Are you sure that you're not the one that's broken?" Emily said smartly. Jennifer wasn't making any sense, as per usual.

"Oh, please. You can't even control yourself!" She was tired of seeing the brunette so reactive.

"I can't control myself? What about you? The last time I checked almost every issue we've ever had started with something that _you_ did, Jennifer. The first time we were together, _you_ were the one that left. Our inability to get along and all the subsequent arguments we've been having are a direct result of _you_ being dishonest. And the problem you had with Will last night, that was all _you_ too. Granted, I may not have reacted to things in the best way, but you aren't exactly blameless in any of these situations and I'm tired of you dumping everything on me." Emily was so impassioned as she spoke that she almost ran out of oxygen.

"You're right." JJ said calmly.

Emily froze and straightened up with surprise. She was right? Well, yes, of course she was right.

"You're right, Em. And I'm sorry that I hurt you. But I don't think this can work out, not the way that it is."

"Is this because of Will? Are you going to call him when I leave?"

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "No. I told him I wasn't interested. This has nothing to do with him."

"What if," Emily sighed, "What if I transferred?"

JJ's mouth dropped open. "What? No! This is your dream job. You can't just quit."

"I could work at the state department." Emily paced back and forth.

"You said you'd _hate_ working at the state department." JJ would never forgive herself if Emily gave up her career for her. She wasn't worth all that.

"Its just a job."

_'Yea right,_' JJ thought. "I really don't think that would solve the problem."

"So then you're just going to give up?"

"Yes."

"You're going to quit?"

"Mhmm."

"Just like that."

JJ nodded. She'd considered giving her the 'lets be friends' speech, but she could tell it wouldn't be well received, at least not today. She didn't have anything left to say to the brunette for now, and she wanted to end the conversation before either of them became too upset. If Emily needed the last word, then she'd let her have it.

"You are incredible." Emily paced back and forth agitatedly. So far, she'd managed to not 'freak out', but it wasn't easy. "Unbelievable... You are the most infuriating woman..."

Then brunette's demeanor changed from angry to confused again. "Is this a joke? You're pulling my chain aren't you?"

JJ hadn't seen that one coming. "No, Em," JJ replied softly through unshed tears. She didn't want Emily to see her cry so she stared down at her hands.

Emily knelt down in front of JJ and took her hands into her own. Her desperation was manifesting in the tears she tried to keep from falling. "Tell me what I can do to make it better. I'll do anything. But don't tell me to leave because I'm not going anywhere until we resolve this."

"I need more time to think about this." JJ said nervously; she briefly wondered when she'd become so emotionally constipated. Maybe she'd been spending too much time with Hotch and Spencer.

"The last time you said that you made an insane suggestion, like breaking up!" Emily rolled her eyes, "What's the real problem? You can tell me, I promise I won't be angry."

"Look, Emily. I just..." Then Emily felt it. Hell, she could taste it. Oh, god. She was going to use the 'S' word. "I need space."

Space was such a dirty word.

Emily could tell by the press liaison's expression and tone that 'space' was her polite way of saying 'get the hell out'. Emily got up and walked out as rapidly as possible. The last thing she wanted was to unravel and become an emotional mess in front of the press liaison.

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

_Several days later..._

The flight back from Baton Rouge had been mostly quiet, with everyone either reading (in Emily's case) or sleeping (in JJ's case). To the untrained eye it would appear as though everything was relatively normal between Emily and JJ, but anyone who knew them could tell otherwise.

Everyone else had already left for the day and Dave was just about to drive off himself, when noticed Emily standing at the curb. She was on the phone and it was starting to get dark. He pulled up and rolled down his window.

"Need a ride, Prentiss?"

"I'm calling a cab."

"I'll drive you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." After the last case they'd worked, the last thing he wanted to do was leave a woman standing alone near a deserted parking lot. His stomach turned at the thought.

Emily walked around to the other side of the Lexus and climbed into the passenger's seat. "I appreciate it. My car's in the shop again."

"No problem."

"You know how to get there?"

"I know which exit to take."

Emily stared out the window at the familiar surroundings. She couldn't wait to get home.

"You've been quiet lately." Rossi said. "How is everything?"

Emily had to laugh a little at that. She should have known Dave had other motives for offering her a ride. She smiled glumly. "You were right."

Rossi shot her a sideways glance, "About?"

"I sent her running and screaming in the other direction." Emily played with her hands as she stared out the window. "We broke up."

"Ah." Dave nodded his head in understanding. "I'm sorry."

"How do I fix it?"

"Fix it?" Rossi shrugged, "I've been through three divorces. I can't say that I've ever gotten that far."

"That's comforting." Emily sighed and then laughed to herself, "I thought you were supposed to be _omniscient_."

"Yes, but only of impending doom. If I were any good at the other part I might still be married."

"Turn left here. Its the next one."

"You must have a nice view of the capital." Rossi commented as he pulled into the driveway of the ritzy apartment complex.

"Yup. Here is fine." Emily unbuckled her seatbelt as Rossi stopped the car. "Thanks for the ride, Dave."

"You're welcome. And don't worry about it, you'll figure something out."

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Emily heard the door chime and frowned. She knew that would be Jennifer. The press liaison had called her the previous night to inform her she would be stopping by to pick up her things. Emily took a deep breath and steeled herself before opening the door. She slowly pulled it open and took in the other woman's beauty. Emily was brought back to reality when she saw Jennifer's duffel bag.

"Hey." JJ said quietly.

"Hey." The brunette mumbled and stepped to the side, allowing the press liaison entry.

Emily closed the door behind her and made her way back over to the couch, where she had been trying to make sense of things for the last few hours. She sat down on the couch and continued to nurse her glass of wine. She didn't bother to turn as she listened to JJ make her way up the stairs towards the room that, until lately, they frequently shared.

After about fifteen minutes, Emily heard Jennifer come back down the stairs. She didn't bother to turn around. She couldn't bring herself to watch Jennifer leave.

JJ hated to see Emily upset. She put her bag on the floor near the kitchen and made her way over to where the profiler sat on the couch. Emily continued to stare ahead. Emily thought it was ironic that their relationship would end in the same place it started- on Emily's couch on a Sunday afternoon.

"Emily."

Emily held the tears at bay, refusing to let them fall. "I don't really want to hear it, Jennifer. Sometimes things just don't work out. Lets just leave it at that." She smiled sadly at the press liaison.

"You don't even know what I'm going to say."

Emily wasn't sure she wanted to know. "What is it?"

JJ smiled shyly and sat down beside her. "I wanted to ask you if you would like to have dinner with me sometime?"

"Um what?" Emily asked confusedly.

"Would you like to have dinner with me?" JJ asked again.

Emily stared at her blankly. "Um, what?" She must be hearing that wrong.

"I'm asking you out on a date." JJ took her hand in hers.

"I know, but I don't understand..." Emily was completely baffled. Her immediate reaction to JJ's invitation was to scream 'yes!' at the top of her lungs, but then she remembered how much it could hurt her.

"Well, I've been thinking..." JJ fidgeted with her hair nervously.

"_Not again.._."

"Hey none of that, I'm trying to be serious here." JJ offered her a playful glare. "I've been thinking about our relationship and I've come to a conclusion."

"Yes?"

"We went in reverse!"

Emily raised an eyebrow, indicating that JJ should elaborate.

"When have we ever gone on a date? I mean, a real date?"

"Well there was-"

"Work doesn't count."

"What about the time-"

"I said work doesn't count."

"Oh." Emily shrugged noncommittally, "I guess we haven't."

"Exactly."

Emily was still confused, "So..."

"What I'm trying to say is that I want us to start over." Jennifer squeezed Emily's hand. "I want us to do this right, starting with a date. And I mean a date, Emily, as in _not_ a booty call."

"Hey!" Emily playfully smacked Jennifer's arm. "Then you're not leaving?" Emily asked hopefully.

"Yes, I'm still leaving."

Emily frowned, "But-"

"I have to, Em. In order for us to start over. I need to go slower."

The brunette eyed her warily. She didn't want to be jerked around if JJ should suddenly change her mind again.

"I Googled us." JJ said to explain.

Emily's eyes widened, "We're on Google?" She would strangle Garcia.

"Not us, what's _wrong_ with us."

"There's a word for it?" Emily said cynically.

"Its called a U-haul. We are so not ready for a U-haul."

Emily grimaced and rubbed her temples. "Please. Don't ever call it that."

"Well its what we are!"

"No... U-hauling is when you've only been on a few dates, whereas we've been seeing each other for several months."

"I know, but here's the thing. We skipped the normal courtship and went straight to bed. Then we're talking about a serious relationship. Its like the same thing!"

"And going on a date is supposed to fix everything?" Emily asked, trying to follow JJ's logic.

Jennifer looked down at her hands and said softly. "I hope so. I want to try."

Emily sighed and said calmly. "Look, Jennifer. If you don't want this then I understand, and I won't make a big deal out of it. But don't string me along because you feel guilty. I need more than a 'try' from you."

"I'm serious, Emily."

"How serious?"

"I got us tickets to see _Wicked_... I remember you mentioned you'd been meaning to see it... and its almost Thanksgiving and we'll both have time off at the same time so I just thought..."

Emily was quiet for a moment.

A smile made its way on to the brunette's face. "Okay." Emily wasn't turning down those tickets.

JJ smiled in relief. "Great. I'll call you with more details." JJ continued, "I... uh... wanted to tell you something."

"Mhmm?"

"You asked me why I wanted to break up and its true that I needed to go slower and that I wanted some space."

Emily nodded.

"Its just..." JJ stammered.

Emily encouraged softly, "What is it?"

JJ looked like she might cry for a moment, "But the real reason is that I'm afraid. I feel like you can do so much better than me. You deserve better. It's only be a matter of time before you find someone you like more, someone more on your level, and then you'll leave me."

Emily was completely dumbfounded. She'd never imagined that someone as beautiful as JJ could have such low self esteem. She reached up and gently cupped the other woman's face. "Look at me, Jennifer." She waited for the press liaison to look her in the eye. "You are the most beautiful, intelligent, and talented woman I've ever known. You make me, and everyone else around you feel good. And I'm a better person for having known you. I wonder everyday if I'm good enough for you."

"You mean it?"

"Of course, I mean it." JJ couldn't help but smile at Emily's sincere words. "I love you."

"I love you too." JJ leaned in and kissed the brunette gently.

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

It was already dark out when Emily and JJ strolled out of the theater hand in hand. They had a bit of walk back to the car since parking was a nightmare in this part of town.

"You _would_ take me to see something like that!" Emily teased the other woman.

"Hey! I thought it was good." JJ chuckled.

"It was very good."

"Then what do you mean?"

Emily shrugged, "I just had no idea that Galinda and the wicked witch were such..."

"Lesbians?" JJ snickered, "I know! It was just screaming 'subtext.'"

"Yes, but I had a wonderful time."

"I'm glad." JJ smiled at her warmly.

"You hungry?" Emily asked.

"Most places are closed this late." It was almost eleven.

Emily smiled thoughtfully, "Well, we could go back to my place and I could make us something..."

JJ smirked, "Why, Emily Prentiss, I do believe your ultimate goal is to seduce me."

"Would that be bad?" Emily asked JJ, she said it playfully, but she was seriously asking. She didn't want to cross a line... even if they'd crossed it many times before. Not for the first time in their relationship, Emily was confused about how to proceed.

"No, its never bad, but not tonight, baby." JJ squeezed her hand.

"Alright." Emily understood. Then Emily decided to ask JJ something that had been nagging her all through out the evening. "So how exactly did you get front row tickets? That must've been a small fortune, Jenn. And I know you're not a season ticket holder."

JJ smiled coyly, "Oh, I might have used a certain Ambassador's name to... encourage them to set aside the tickets for a reasonable price..."

Emily laughed incredulously, "So you used my name to your advantage?"

"Actually, I used your mother's name." JJ winked, "And I used it to our advantage."

"Welcome to the family."

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

_Two months later..._

After their meal the two settled on the couch with the already half empty, bottle of red wine. As they talked long into the leaned in and kissed each other slowly at first, then their kisses became more desperate and more passionate. Until they finally broke apart for air.

_Ding._

They both froze. JJ studied the profiler questioningly. "Expecting someone?"

Emily furrowed her brow, "I have no idea who that could be." Emily got up and straightened herself out. "Is my lipstick smeared?"

JJ chuckled, "No. Me?"

"Nope."

_Ding!_

_Ding!_

_Ding!_

"I'm coming, damn it." Emily grumbled to whomever was ringing her door bell excessively. She looked through the peep hole, but whoever was standing there, was slightly off to the side. "Oh, my god. Tell me that's not who I think it is!" Emily muttered to herself nervously. JJ followed Emily, but hung back near the kitchen counter.

"Who is it?" JJ asked quietly.

Emily was genuinely terrified. The brunette whispered nervously, "I think its my mother,"

JJ wasn't sure how she should feel about that, but considering Emily's trepidation, she began to worry. "Um, should I go?"

"No. No, just go hang out in the living room."

"Emily, open this door. I know you've seen me through the peep hole!"

_'No!'_ Emily mouthed. She was hoping she could just shut the lights off and hide from her, the way she'd hide from trick-or-treaters and Jehovah's Witnesses.

The brunette steeled herself, and donning her most charming smile, she pulled the door open. "Oh, hi, Mom! I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Hello, Emily. How are you?" Ambassador Prentiss smiled at her only daughter.

"I'm doing good, you?"

"I'm fine. I'm sorry to show up on such short notice, but I was wondering if you still had the papers from my trip to Brazil, I left them here if I recall, I didn't think I'd need them, but apparently I-"

"I thought you were on your way to New York?" The profiler inquired eagerly.

Elizabeth Prentiss raised an eyebrow at her daughter's hurried tone. "I moved my flight up. I'll be off on Tuesday."

"I could have mailed them to you." Emily leaned against the door slightly.

"I know, but I was in town already and I just thought I'd stop by to check on you..." The Ambassador stood there expectantly.

_Check_ on her. Emily resisted the urge to scowl, she wasn't some dribbling mental patient that needed her supervision. Emily stood there smiling nervously like an idiot. Then she realized she was forgetting something, she moved to the side quickly, "Please, come in."

She motioned for her mother to enter. The Ambassador was obviously surprised to see JJ standing there. "Ah, I see you have a guest. I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything." The Ambassador glanced at the two women.

"Mother, this is Jennifer Jareau, my- we work together." Emily quickly corrected. Her mother knew about her sexual orientation- of that she was almost certain. But whether or not she should introduce JJ to her mother as her partner- well that was a whole other ball game. She knew how Elizabeth Prentiss could be.

The Ambassador smiled cordially, "Ah, yes, of course. I remember you from the BAU. Its nice to see you again, Agent Jareau."

"You too ma'am."

"I hope all is well with you?" Elizabeth inquired politely.

"Yes, it is."

The Ambassador smiled, "Well, I'm not going to keep you, I just stopped by to pick up a few things."

"I'll be right back, I think its in the closet upstairs." Emily hurried up the stairs with a determination. The sooner she gave her mother what she came for, the sooner she would leave.

There was an awkward silence as they waited for Emily to come back down stairs. The Ambassador's demeanor had changed almost immediately after Emily left the room. She was obviously sizing JJ up, and judging by the frown that was forming, she supposed the Ambassador didn't like what she was seeing.

"Agent Jareau-"

"Please, call me JJ."

The older woman just smiled at that, but she was obviously displeased.

JJ wasn't sure what to say, so she tried small talk, "So you're heading to New-"

The Ambassador sighed exasperatedly and cut right to the chase, "How long have you been sleeping with my daughter?"

_'Her daughter_... God, why did she have to make it sound so dirty? JJ blanched at the woman's bluntness, "What?!"

"You think I don't _know_ what's going on? They didn't make me a diplomat for being blind."

JJ was too shocked to respond, "But how do you-"

"Its hard not to know, when you use my name to get front row tickets to the theater, then stroll around town like newly weds."

Oops.

JJ stood there looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I had hoped that Emily would... out grow this eventually. But I see that hasn't been the case." The Ambassador stood near the counter and tapped her finger on it impatiently.

There were so many things for JJ to respond to, she almost didn't know where to begin. Elizabeth was a parent. Reassurance was probably the best way to go, JJ surmised. "Ambassador, I want you to know that I love your daughter and I would never..."

The Ambassador narrowed her eyes at the blond, "If you gave a damn about my Emily then you would've been discreet. Emily isn't some nobody that goes unnoticed by the tabloids. Just because she didn't choose to go into politics or government, doesn't mean that she still isn't recognized in certain circles. DC is a small town and you're hurting her reputation. You don't have the capacity to fully appreciate my daughter!"

JJ scoffed, that was below the belt. WAY below. "With all do respect, Emily is not a child. Did it ever occur to you that maybe your daughter doesn't give a damn about 'certain circles'? And maybe its your own reputation that you're really concerned about."

"You aren't good enough for my Emily!"

JJ was taken aback.

"I just want to make one thing very clear to you." The Ambassador said closing the distance between them. "If you hurt my Emily- I will destroy you, completely and utterly!"

JJ stared at her in shock.

Emily came back down the stairs with a blue manila folder in one hand. "Got it, mom."

The Ambassador's demeanor changed instantly. "Well its been a pleasure to see you again, _JJ_."

JJ smiled nervously as her throat went dry.

Emily walked her mother to the door and they said their good byes.

"Hey Jayj, are you okay." Emily noticed the odd expression that had been lingering on her face.

JJ put on a fake smile, "Yea," she nodded, "I'm just tired that's all. I think I'm going to head out now."

Emily pouted, "I was hoping you would stay."

"Uh..." JJ wasn't sure what to do. She was torn between venting her rage about Emily's mother, and cuddling up beside the profiler.

Emily wrapped her arms around the press liaison. "Besides, I think I'd be negligent if I let you drive after going through half my bottle of wine..."

JJ chuckled, "I had some help, you know."

"I had one glass. The rest- that was all you."

JJ kissed the profile on the mouth. "All part of your grand scheme to seduce me..."

"Of course."

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

JJ rolled over in annoyance as she felt the bright warmth of the sun streaming across her naked body. "Argh." Without opening her eyes, she felt around the bed for Emily, but instead all she felt was empty space. She propped herself up and looked at the clock- it was after eleven. The blond yawned and pushed her sleep tousled hair out of her face. Jennifer made her way over to the chest. She pulled out a pair of Emily's sweat pants and a gray Yale t-shirt, and went off in search of the brunette. It wasn't until she'd been standing for a while, that she really noticed the unpleasant after effects of all the wine she'd had the night before. Her mild hangover only added to her irritation, however. She was still thinking about Emily's mother and it made her blood boil. Not simply because of what she said, but Jennifer could feel her insecurities creeping back. What if she was right? Emily _was_ too good for her. The Ambassador only helped confirm that in JJ's mind and now she was starting to worry again.

JJ could hear the TV as she made her way down the stairs. Emily was parked on the couch with a bag of chips in her lap. It was obvious that Emily had already been up for sometime, she had showered and put on a pair of jeans and a snug purple t-shirt.

"Hey." JJ said to the profiler.

"Hey," Emily said absently as she gazed into the boob tube. Emily patted the space next to her on the couch, indicating JJ should sit.

Instead, JJ parked her slender frame in front of the television, silently demanding the profiler's undivided attention.

"I'm trying to see what the weather is going to be like." Emily said in a polite tone that asked JJ to 'move out of the way.' She reached into her large bag of potato chips and grabbed a handful.

"Ya know what, Em, I think I know what the weather is going to be." JJ moved over to the TV animatedly and pointed at the map like a weatherman, "Its going to be moderately shitty here, unseasonably shitty there, there," She made a large imaginary circle with her arm, "and everywhere!"

Emily laughed at JJ's comical little tantrum, "Why do I get the impression that you aren't a fan of the weather channel?" When she saw the genuine irritation in the other woman's expression, she realized that she might actually be in the doghouse for some unknown reason. Emily opened and closed her mouth without uttering a word. She asked confusedly, "I'm sorry, were we having a fight that I was unaware of?" She thought hard for a moment. Then she suggested hopefully, "Are we going to have sex again?" She munched on her chips dumbly.

Jennifer frowned at Emily's man-moment.

The brunette pouted. "What's the matter? Is this because of my mother? You've been different ever since she stopped by."

The press liaison sighed as she plopped down the couch next to the brunette. "Its just something she said. I'm sorry I took it out on you."

"What did she say?"

"She threatened to kill me." JJ smiled glumly as she ran her fingers through her hair.

Emily chuckled and said cynically, "Oh she threatens everyone, that's just her way of saying she loves you." Emily frowned when JJ turned down the TV and stood in front of it with her arms crossed again.

Putting her hands on her hips, JJ did her impression of the Ambassador's tone, "She's says I lack 'the capacity to appreciate you'!"

Emily shrugged and munched on her chips greedily, "If its any consolation, she once said that I lacked the mental capacity to tie my own shoes let alone function as a federal agent."

"_Really_?" JJ looked horrified. She would have been devastated if her own mother had told her something as discouraging as that.

Emily shrugged again as she leaned slightly to see around her. "You get used to it."

"Emily! That's like... that's verbal abuse." It was a miracle Emily turned out so well.

Emily shrugged and continued to eat her chips. Seeing JJ's expression she tilted the bag in her direction in offering. JJ frowned and snatched the bag away.

"Hey..." Emily rolled her eyes at JJ's dramatics, "Jesus Jayj, she's not _abusive_. She's just... a bit..."

"She's a bitch!"

"Don't call my mother a bitch," Emily became defensive. "Give me my chips." Emily snapped testily as she grabbed the bag. "I'm not going to argue about my mother with you. I'm sorry she was rude to you."

JJ sat on the couch again and drew her legs up to her chest in an effort to get comfortable.

"Jayj, if my mother is mean to you, you shouldn't take it as a personal rejection, you should interpret it as unadulterated acceptance into the Prentiss family. The Ambassador only treats family with such disdain."

JJ swatted Emily's arm and reached into her bag of chips.

"Hey!" Emily pouted and rubbed her arm. "I'm serious. If my mom talks to you the way she talks to me then... maybe you should start calling her mom or something."

"You are such a weird little person," JJ stared at Emily. "But I love you anyway."

Emily chuckled. "Yes, you do."

"But doesn't it bother you that she doesn't like me?" JJ just couldn't get over it.

"Would it bother you if your parents didn't like me? I mean what do you want me to do Jennifer, _leave you_?" Emily said sarcastically. She didn't understand why JJ was taking this so personally. The Ambassador rarely liked anyone.

JJ snapped, "You bet it would_. _It would really bother me that my parents didn't like you." But then she corrected herself before her words could be misinterpreted, "I mean I wouldn't leave you, but I would like for them to accept you. Is that really so abnormal to you?"

Emily rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly, "Look, my mother barely likes me half the time, why the hell do you think that she'd like you?" JJ's mouth dropped open as she stared at Emily wordlessly. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's true." Emily went back to snacking.

JJ's mouth was still hanging open much to the brunette's annoyance.

JJ turned her head and stared in the direction of the TV. "Doesn't it ever bother you, Emily?"

Emily shrugged and pretended to be watching the TV.

"Does _anything_ ever bother you?"

Emily ignored her.

JJ snatched the remote and turned the TV off.

"Dammit, Jennifer. Why do you even want to talk about this? You wouldn't be the first person to not have the approval of your girlfriend's parents. Get over it."

JJ scoffed, "Get over it? I should just 'get over it'?"

Emily sulked. Jennifer was starting to use _that_ tone. It was the tone she used whenever they were about to go from petty banter to '_Roar!'_

"Jennifer, you're overreacting."

JJ crossed her arms.

Emily continued, "What do you want me to do? You want me to call my mother and scream at her for hurting your feelings? I mean, would that make this all better?"

"She claims I'm ruining your reputation! She said I wasn't good enough for you." JJ was becoming flustered.

Emily sighed. Now she understood what prompted her sudden insecurity. She looked JJ in the eye and said, "Well, she was wrong, JJ." Emily put hand over JJ's and gave it a comforting squeeze.

They sat in a kind of awkward silence for a few moments. JJ released a breath she'd been holding in. She glanced at Emily who had a questioning look in her eyes. JJ rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Oh you can turn the stupid TV back on."

Emily blinded her with a sexy grin "Alrighty," She said teasingly as she grabbed the remote. "C'mere." Then she pulled the press liaison over to her and wrapped her arm around her as she clicked the TV back on. JJ leaned against Emily and rested her head on her shoulder.

They watched television in a companionable silence for several minutes.

"Since we're on the subject of my mother..." Emily started carefully.

JJ lifted her head off of Emily's shoulder, "Yes...?"

"She kind of invited us to dinner on tomorrow..." Emily played with her fingernails.

"And you told her?" JJ said through gritted teeth.

"That we would be _happy_ to go." Emily hugged a couch pillow as she cringed in anticipation of the tirade she knew was coming.

"You what!?" JJ was thoroughly horrified. "Emily its one thing for you to go, but you didn't even ask me!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know she said those things until you told me a few minutes ago."

"Why?" JJ leaned her head back against the couch and covered her face with her hands dramatically. "Why? Why is she doing this to us?"

Emily fought the urge to laugh, "She's not an unsub, Jayj."

JJ glared at her. Truth be told, she would have been more comfortable dealing with an unsub. It was the devil she already knew.

Emily explained gently, "She specifically wanted me to bring you, Jennifer. Maybe she feels guilty and wants to apologize now that she's had time to think about it."

"Or maybe she just wants to disown you before she sets me on fire and forces you to watch!"

Emily did laugh that time. She pulled JJ into an embrace and nuzzled against her neck, "I'll make it up to you..." She said seductively. She planted a kiss just under the blond's ear. "I promise."

JJ pouted, but her frustration was ebbing. "You'd better..."

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

"See that wasn't so bad." Emily chirped happily. Dinner had been much better than expected. Once she had dragged JJ up to her mother's front door, that is.

JJ smiled. "I'm still not sure what the hell happened." She glanced at Emily, who was in the driver's seat.

"She apologized, that's what happened." Emily was smug, "I told ya so."

Emily pulled into her parking space and they made their way to the elevators at Emily's apartment building.

"Are you sure you didn't have something to do with her apology?" JJ asked skeptically.

Emily snickered, "No, I swear to God, she just called me the day after she stopped by."

JJ thought back to several hours before.

"_Please sit."_

_JJ debated as to whether or not she even wanted to subject herself to this. The Ambassador must have sensed her hesitation because she laughed, "I'm not going to bite you, Agent."_

_JJ snapped readily, "Really?"_

"_I wanted to... apologize." The Ambassador said awkwardly. She was not someone who was accustomed to admitting she was wrong. "I think I may have been rather harsh in my assessment of your," She forced the words out of her mouth, "relationship with my daughter."_

_JJ's anger deflated slightly as she became unsure how to respond. She'd expected the ambassador to offer her some sort of bribe to keep away from Emily or something on that order. _

"_I had my staff run a background check on you-"_

_JJ put her hands up in protest, "I honestly don't want to know. The truth is I don't care what you think of me, or of my 'relationship with your daughter.'" JJ cut her off and said through gritted teeth, And if you think you can intimidate me with your connections and your idle threats than you have another thing coming-"_

_JJ stopped when she saw the Ambassador's reaction She was laughing, "Perhaps you aren't so unsuitable after all." There was an uncharacteristic note of admiration in the Ambassador's tone. "I have to admit I'm a little impressed. I'd assumed you'd go running and screaming in the opposite direction as soon as you heard about the invitation..."_

"Okay, so here's what I don't get." Emily and JJ stepped off the elevator and made their way towards Emily's front door. "She apologizes to me, then I'm really rude to her, and so- now she likes me?" JJ was baffled. She could understand who Emily got a lot of her weirdness from.

"Wow, Jayj, I've worked my whole life to make my mother proud..." Emily said in awe, "Then you just give her a piece of your mind, and suddenly she admires you..."

Jennifer snickered and rolled her eyes. "What did she say when I went to the bathroom?"

Emily continued, "Oh, it was just Jennifer this and Jennifer that- what the hell did you do to her?"

JJ laughed loudly, "I guess I have my charms."

"That you do." They entered Emily's apartment and shut the door.

JJ became more serious, "One parent down, two more to go..." She rolled her eyes as she thought about her own mom and dad.

Emily shrugged nonchalantly as she pulled JJ into an embrace, "We can worry about them another time."

JJ looked thoughtful as she started to undo the buttons on Emily's shirt, "And if I recall correctly, I believe you were going to make this up to me."

"I believe you're right." Emily said as she pulled Jennifer in for a searing kiss.

THE END

Thanks for reading! :-)


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